Jurassic World: The Series
by Batman1809
Summary: A Prequel Series to Jurassic World. Following immediately after Hammond's death, we follow the characters as they reclaim Isla Nublar, build and then run Jurassic World up from scratch, up until the creation of Indominus Rex.
1. Chapter 1

**For the past 3 weeks, I have literally been on a Jurassic World high. I frickin' loved it with a passion! Not as good as the original, but man was that fun to watch!**

 **And so I started going over the Jurassic Park section, and after reading Feathers Apart's "Pack Mentality" (Which is awesome, by the way. Highly recommend reading it), I began thinking, wouldn't it be awesome if Jurassic World had a prequel series leading up to the film? **

**Well, since I doubt Universal Pictures would do that, I have decided to write my own. It will begin with the short scene below, and then move to the park, following the people who run it, Claire, Owen, Barry, Masrani, Vic, everyone. From the Control room to the animal handlers to the ACU... there is just so much to explore if this were a series!**

 **If anyone wishes to pitch ideas for story arch's and/or possible scenes, feel free to let me know either through review or PM.**

 **So, without further ado...**

 **Jurassic World: The Series**

* * *

Prologue: 

The Passing of an Old Irishman

(San Francisco, California, 1997)

Simon Masrani was at the head of the table in the meeting room of Masrani Global Corporations. The glass walled room was filled with businessmen and women, forming Masrani's inner ring of advisors and associates. The man at the far end of the room was Jason Callwell, quite frankly his least favorite advisor. He was currently pointing to a projection on the screen facing the table. It was a chart of sorts, showing dropping stocks of InGen.

"... As we all know, InGen has been barley managing to hang on as an independent company for five years since the Jurassic Park incident." He clicked the remote, and yet another graph appeared, this time showing public opinion. Again, it was in decline. "...Public opinion, as well, has remained low since this incident, and pushed even lower after the Isla Sorna incident, with no sign of rising." Another graph appeared, showing number of patents. "...And they have turned out a short supply of patents, despite their huge peak just before the incident." Callwell then clicked the remote again. The projection disappeared, and the screen began rolling up. The room lit up again.

"In short" he continued. "Acquiring InGen would be a significant mistake on our part. No one attempted to buy out the crippled giant for a reason; bad publicity. Everything they touch turns to chaos. We are bound to suffer those consequences if we were to take an interest in Hammond's company."

When Callwell had finished talking, Simon Masrani stood up. "One mistake" he said simply. "Hammond made one mistake, almost five years ago, while following his dream. How many of us made mistakes before we came to where we are?"

"Mr. Masrani" said Paul Jones, the advisor sitting next to him. "None of us made an island of dinosaurs that got people killed. You can't even compare any company to InGen's history."

"That is true. But Jurassic Park failed because of human error, not out of some... _curse._ His dream wasn't to wreak havoc, it was to bring awe to the people. To bring humility before nature."

"Hasn't Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon done that for us already?" asked another advisor. A few people in the room laughed at the statement.

"Yes, but people are bored of what we have grown up with for thousands of years. What about the age before our time? To witness creatures from a long lost world, deep into our past."

"Learn from our history" said Callwell. "What about InGen's history? They messed with powers beyond their reckoning, and look where it got them."

"There are no _powers_ here" said Masrani, still focused on the crowd in general. "Dinosaurs are blood and flesh, like the rest of us. They have a beating heart and a brain. There is nothing other worldly about what InGen did."

"What does John Hammond say about this?" asked another advisor.

"Hammond, while in sound mind, signed the contract that will turn his company over to us. He has entrusted me with it, and I will only legalize it when we have agreed."

"Then what are we waiting for?" asked an older woman advisor. "With our resources, we can make huge advances with InGen."

"Thank you Mrs. Johnson" said Masrani. "Now, we have all heard the arguments, now I want your final opinions. Who is in support of..."

Suddenly, the door burst open. His secretary, Robert, burst into the room. "Um, excuse me Mr. Masrani."

"Rob, we are in a meeting, what is it?" asked Simon, irritated, but not angry. He wasn't an angry man. In fact, it took a lot to make him mad. He always had a happy, level demeanor about him.

"Sir, there was a call from John Hammond's residence. I'm afraid it's serious..."

* * *

Simon Masrani was at the residence of John Hammond within a few hours. He had his private helicopter fly him their immediately, determined to visit his old friend before his passing. When the helicopter landed on the private landing pad, Simon almost immediately jumped out, ignoring his pilot's advice to wait till the engines died down. Upon walking from the pad, he found one of Hammond's servants, who immediately walked out to meet him.

"How is he?" asked Simon over the noise of the helicopter's engines.

"Not well sir. The doctors say he won't make it past the night."

Simon looked down, visibly shaken. He had known Hammond for several decades now. He knew him even before Jurassic Park, and was one of the few he told personally about the park. They met at a biotechnology conference back in 1990, when Hammond had just founded InGen and Simon was next in line to run ailing father's company. They met at the Starbuck's after a presentation on bringing back more recent extinct creatures through cloning. What struck Simon was Hammond's enthusiasm. He wasn't like the other CEOs he has come to know, who were mostly focused on maximizing profits, and that alone. Hammond had a vision, a dream, and he wasn't about to let something as trivial as money get in the way. "Spare no expense" he would often tell him.

After that fateful day, the two remained in contact, and Simon found somewhat of a mentor in Hammond, especially since his own father passed the following year after meeting him. Hammond helped the young CEO learn the tricks and secrets of handling a multi-million dollar company. So when Hammond became terminally ill, just months after the incident at Isla Sorna, he thought out to keep his dream alive, even if he never lived to see it.

He was lead through the Hammond mansion, until he finally found himself before the man's room. He sighed, then entered. Hammond was lying on his bead, painfully pale and thin. Surrounding him was his only daughter, Julie, and his two grandchildren, Lex and Tim Murphy.

"Simon" said a tearful Lex quietly. Being a close friend, Simon had been acquainted with the Hammond family. Lex was now 17, while Tim was 15. Lex and Tim quickly went and hugged "uncle" Simon. Simon returned the hug. He then caught site of two more individuals standing across the room. One he recognized as Alan Grant, the famous paleontologist who survived Jurassic Park. Next to him was Ellie Sattler, his former student, co-worker, and one of his best friends. Simon didn't know them personally, but he recognized them from Hammond's retelling of the incident. He immediately introduced himself.

"Simon Masrani" he said, shaking Grant's hand, then Ellie's.

"Alan" said Grant.

"Ellie" said Sattler. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"Likewise" Simon said. Simon knew that their relationship with Hammond was problematic at best, especially regarding the ethics of playing God and cloning extinct animals, but Hammond was one who recognized his own mistakes and took responsibility for them, and the group reconciled after the incident, even though Hammond continuously tried to return to his cursed dream. Of the surviving members of the first incident, the only one who wasn't here was Ian Malcolm. Masrani actually knew Ian, and he always regarded him to be annoying; always convinced he's right, and though he usually was, he would never let you forget it. Ian was involved with the Isla Sorna just months before, and he never forgave Hammond for letting Sarah Harding go there on her own.

"Simon!" said Hammon weakly. Upon hearing his name, Simon immediately went over to meet his mentor.

"John" he whispered, taking a seat next to Hammond.

"Simon, I'm glad you were able to make it" said Hammond. "How are you?"

"I'm more than fine" said Simon.

Hammond smiled. "I'm afraid I can't say the same old friend." Hammond the had a short coughing fit. Lex immediately came forward and handed him a glass of water. She held it up to him and let him take a sip. When he had finished, he said "I'm afraid now is not the time for sentiment, time is not on my side."

"Dad" Julie said, but Hammond raised his hand.

"My dear, I've already said what needs to be said, all but one" he said kindly. "Simon, how is the acquisition going?"

Simon nodded. "It's going well. Don't you worry about InGen."

Hammond smiled. "Simon, you don't have to do this. I've had my chance, and you have your own goals..."

Simon shook his head. "I owe you John. You took me in after my father died. Besides, this will benefit Masrani for the better."

Alan looked to Ellie. He whispered. "What are they talking about?"

Ellie shook her head. Alan grew worried.

Hammond then coughed more, more violently this time. Immediately, Alan and Time rushed in the help him up, allowing him to clear his throat more efficiently. When Hammond had finished, he lied back down. "Simon... is this your final decision? Are you ready? This isn't to be taken lightly."

Simon nodded. "I am positive. And don't worry; I'll spare no expense" he smiled.

Hammond chuckled. "That's my boy." Then, his breathing became irregular. "Than I now hand you the keys... to the park."

Hammond's eyes then grew heavy. He stared to the empty space at Simon's side. "Martha?" he murmured the name of his late wife. Simon looked to Julie in confusion. Almost immediately, Julie, Lex and Tim rushed to his side.

"Grandpa?" asked Tim worryingly. Hammond's breathing became more and more irregular. Julie immediately ran up to him.

"Dad?" she asked.

John reached out to her, grabbing her hand. He smiled, then closed his eyes, and breathed his last.

Julie sat there, crying lightly. She had known her father all her life, and he had lived a long, fulfilling life. Her children, on the other hand, knew him less, so it was harder to see him go. Lex held on to her younger brother and cried.

Ellie shed a light tear and wiped it away. Alan, though saddened, couldn't help but notice Simon walk away to the window. While he respected Hammond, he considered him an irrational man. He wondered what he had talked to Simon about with his dying breath.

* * *

 **If I could film this, I would imagine the slow version of the main theme (check out the Piano Guys version on Youtube) playing while Masrani looks out the window, then across the screen comes the main titles: Jurassic World, the Series.**

 **Future chapters will be longer.**

 **If you think this could use some improvement, let me know. This won't just follow Simon Masrani, but also Owen, Claire, Lowery, Vivian, Vic, and even cameos of the original cast.**

 **I hope to write more chapters with increasing frequency while my imagination is high on Jurassic World. I'll also take requests and listen to ideas for upcoming chapters.**

 **Let me know what you think. See you later.**

 **-Batman**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A Tale of Two Islands

* * *

Two days later, Hammond's funeral was held at the Westminster Cemetery in Los Angeles. All of his old friends were there, including Henry Wu, Alan and Ellie, and Ian Malcolm, along with Sarah Harding, with who he was still with. The media couldn't help but show up as well, eager to take their last photographs of the man responsible for bringing dinosaurs back to life, albeit the news was of recent. The incident of Isla Sorna and consequently San Diego occurred merely months ago. With Hammond dead, so many questions are now left unanswered, some trivial. Now, with the passing of Hammond, many questions will be left unanswered.

Hammond was buried next to his deceased wife Martha. Julie, Lex and Tim arrived, being his last remaining family, his sister passing away five year prior, and his nephew, Peter Ludlow, recently passed immediately following the Sand Diego incident at the hands of the parent T-rex and its infant. They bid a tearful goodbye, and after the preacher gave the last blessing, they threw in their fistful of dirt, and parted ways. After Hammond was buried, most of the assembly attended the reception, leaving Simon Masrani to himself.

Masrani sighed when the final shovel of dirt was patted down over the grave. This was it now. Hammond was gone. He was alone, and he had Hammond to thank for preparing him for this. He had successfully ran his company on his own for over a decade now, but it was strange now to be truly on his own. He said one last goodbye, then turned to leave. Ian was by himself, staying behind to see Masrani leave the grave. Instinct told him that he had reason to worry.

The reception, taking place at the cemetery reception room, was filled with other businessmen, media, celebrities, and other upper class associates of Hammond, the sort of crowd that drove Alan Grant to the more isolated table. Nothing would please him more than to leave, but Ellie insisted on staying, wanting to show respect. The two roughnecks were uncomfortable in their formal, black attire. Alan kept scratching his collar, hating the tightness of the tie wrapped around his neck.

"Dr. Grant, Dr. Sattler" said Ian to Grant and Ellie, momentarily distracting Alan from his collar.

"Ian!" said Ellie. "It's been so long. How are you?"

"Oh, fine, fine. Um, this is Sarah Harding. Sarah, my partners in, _prehistoric_ crime, Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler" Ian said, introducing his friends to his girlfriend in a ill fated attempt at a joke. Sarah immediately extended her hand and greeted the duo.

"Nice to finally meet you" said Sarah, extending her hand to shake Ellie's hand, then Alan's.

"Likewise" said Ellie.

"I see your taste in attire hasn't changed" said Alan to Ian.

"I told you, black works for every occasion. Weddings, baptisms... and funerals."

Ellie nodded. "I still can't believe he's gone. With that charisma of his, it seemed like he would never go."

"I just saw him a few months ago" said Ian. "And he was as active as he ever was. One project to the next with that guy" Ian said in a straight to the point, factual fashion, showing little emotion."

Alan nodded. "Why don't you two sit down?"

"Oh, uh certainly" said Ian. Immediately, both he and Sarah sat at the table.

"So, what have you been up too?" asked Ian. "Still digging up dinosaurs?"

"The dead ones anyway" said Alan.

"We prefer them that way" followed up Ellie.

"Yeah, can't help but feel the same way, now" said Sarah.

"What about you Ian? Anything new in the field of Mathematics?" asked Grant.

"Taking a break now" said Ian. "Working on my book, uh, 'God Creates Dinosaurs'."

Alan couldn't help but laugh. "Sounds intriguing..."

* * *

An hour passed as the foursome passed time, catching up on lost time. Eventually, they gave a toast to the late John Hammond, one to more founder memories. Ellie and Sarah left to go to the restroom, while Alan walked out into the cemetery to get some fresh air. Ian followed him.

"Too stuffy in there?" asked Ian from behind.

Alan looked behind him, slightly annoyed, but accepted his company nonetheless. "I like my elbow room."

"I can understand." said Ian. They walked quietly for a minute, just enjoying the breeze.

"What do you know about Masrani?" Alan asked.

"Simon Masrani?" asked Ian. I know him, yeah. Hammond was his mentor."

Alan nodded. "I heard he wants to acquire InGen."

Ian nodded. He then turned away from where Alan was walking, taking his own direction. He seemed determined, forgetting that it was he who was following Alan. Not really set on a direction, Alan followed without question. "He admitted to his mistakes" Ian said, remembering something Hammond told him. "And he paid for them, but he never learned from them. Just one problem to the next, even after death."

"You really think Masrani is going to continue Hammond's dream?" asked Alan. "How on earth is he going to continue after San Diego? No one in their right mind would let him do that."

"Don't be naïve, Alan. If there is one thing we've learned from history, is that it just _loves_ to repeat itself. People just crave the chaos. I mean, um, just look at this world. After, after the thousands of years we have lived on this planet, we still have not learned what our own arrogance have lead too. We always want the next big thing: smarter computers, faster cars, better cosmetics, more fuel, more channels. Where has that gotten us? Cyber warfare, more car crashes, people with phony faces, pollution, children getting their hands on pornography with the click of a button... And all in the name of progress."

"So, you think that, in the name of the next best thing, Jurassic Park will eventually happen?"

"Chaos supports that, yes. And not only that, eventually, we're going to get bored of that too."

Alan laughed. "You really think that we're going to get bored of dinosaurs?"

"We got bored with the moon, didn't we? We're already eying Mars. More than three times the distance, and just as many more hazards. We'll destroy ourselves Alan, and it will be at the hands of the "dreamers" and, and the activists."

Ian then stopped just before a particular gravestone. Alan likewise looked at it. The marble headstone read "Eddie Carr."

"You know I never got to know him" said Ian, changing subjects. "He kind of bugged me, never had much in the way of communication skills, but I owe my life to him. And he didn't even know what he was getting into, Hammond never bothered to give him the details."

Alan shook his head. "I'm sorry."

"Hammond could have had that island destroyed. He should have bombed those islands to ruble... but no."

"He just couldn't let go" said Alan. "How can you let go of a dream like that?"

"Oh easy, just look at the means. Do you think screwing around with thousands of years of evolution is going to end well? He played God, and every time you ply God, He'll come down and put you in your place, and He won't be nice about it."

Ian was quiet for a moment, just watching the trees just above Eddie's grave.

"Well" said Alan, crossing his arms. "I don't know about you, but I'm sure not going to let that happen."

But Ian shook his head. "It's going to take a lot more than a paleontologist and a mathematician to stop it this time. Do you even know who Simon Masrani is?"

Alan shrugged. "I've only met him a few times. Hammond mentioned that he was his protégé or something, but other than that not much. I tend not to follow the ongoings of the once percent; I find bones more interesting."

"Well, let's see. He owns one of the biggest oil fields in the world. In addition, um, he owns Mascom, a huge telecommunications company, and now InGen, one of the most advanced biotechnological companies in the world, minus the funding, until now."

Alan whistled. "So, pretty big guy?"

Ian nodded. "I mean you can try. Make statements, attend public hearings. But in the end, progress will get what it wants. We're modern day prophets Alan; the world is never ready to listen to prophets until it's too late."

Alan could only laugh. "You always got to throw some philosophical stuff into everything, don't you?"

Ian shrugged, then smiled. "We mathematicians are a very philosophical bunch."

Both men laughed for a moment before Alan spoke again.

"I'm still going to miss the guy" said Alan.

Ian nodded in agreement. "He was a dreamer. A misguided one, but a dreamer nonetheless."

Eventually, Ellie and Sarah returned, and the friends parted ways again.

* * *

Weeks passed since the funeral. Simon Masrani was in his private office of his California corporate building, shuffling through forms and such. In that time, Masrani Corporations had quickly incorporated InGen into its control, Simon having finally acquired the votes necessary to acquire it. In the weeks following, his company was responsible for processing the patents and properties of InGen, from its labs to the equipment to the amber mines and dig site partnerships, even the DNA of the dinosaurs, which it managed to keep despite the disasters. It was a mountain of work, and Simon wanted to personally oversee everything. He wanted to know _everything_ if he was to continue Hammond's dream. He was bound and determined to make Hammond's dream his own, and was likewise determined to avoid the same mistakes. He would be very careful about who he hired.

A knock on the door came.

"Enter" said Masrani.

In walked an Asian man in a grey suit. Masrani looked up and immediately recognized the scientist.

"Henry Wu!" he greeted. "How long has it been?"

Dr. Wu immediately went up and shook Masrani's hand. "Too long. I didn't see you at the reception."

"Oh, no. I wanted to be alone."

Wu nodded. "Yes, of course. He was a good friend. You know, before the incident, he was always insisting on seeing the birth of every animal. He was an exception to most CEOs."

"Yes. He was a character. That's why I called you actually." Masrani then pressed a button on his intercom. "Rob, I am in a meeting, and am not to be disturbed, understand?"

"Of course sir" Rob said through the intercom. Masrani then turned of the device, and faced Dr. Wu.

"Do you want something to drink? Tea?"

"Oh, no thank you. Do you have coffee perhaps?"

"Sorry, no. Caffeine doesn't settle well with my nerves... anyway. As many have already guessed, I want to continue Hammond's dream, and to do it properly, I want to bring in everyone who was involved with it."

Wu nodded. "I am honored. I personally applaud your decision. It was human error after all that led to fall of the first park, and as for the rana DNA, well, for that I can attest we have learned from our mistakes. I have actually been perfecting my techniques, and I can now accurately avoid making the same mistakes again.

Simon was taken aback at how prepared Henry was. He had only just acquired InGen, and Henry seemed ready to go. "That's, wonderful!" said Simon, surprised. "I see InGen hasn't lost a beat."

"I knew that an idea such as Jurassic Park could not be ingored, and as chief geneticist, I decided to keep our founder's dream alive."

In the four years since the Isla Nublar incident, Henry Wu has been experimenting to perfect his cloning techniques. Fascinated at how traits and abilities could be implanted to another organism through splicing, he began practicing on plants, successfully creating an artificial hybrid plant, called _Karacosis wutansis,_ or the "Wu Flower". It was this plant that got investors interested in InGen again, and thus gave Masrani the support he needed from his board to acquire InGen.

"I'm glad to hear that. But first I need an opinion."

"Of course."

"As you know, I now own two islands: Isla Nublar and Isla Sorna, the latter a surprise to me. Hammond never mentioned it until recently."

"Yes, well, at the time, the techniques used to clone the animals weren't perfect, and thus only about 5% of the embryos became viable after conception. So we needed a large space with enough incubators to nurture hundreds of eggs, only to get maybe five. And then there was the space needed to raise the animals before bringing them to the park."

Simon nodded. "But didn't you already have a lab on Nublar?"

"That was just for show, something to show the visitors. Sorna was the beating heart of Jurassic Park."

"Fascinating."

"Yes. Well, if Hammond were born five years later, we would never have needed that second island, what with the technology catching up as it is."

"Mhmm" said Simon, trying to process the information. "Well, the past is in the past now. Let's look to the future, shall we? Now, as far as we can tell, Sorna is currently a host to an entire ecosystem of extinct animals, and is thus too dangerous to reoccupy. Bringing the animals back to the mainland is just, insane, as Ludlow just proved, so I'm planning on trying to reclaim Nublar."

Henry's eyes went wide. "Nublar?"

"Yes, I realize it is a risk, but the way I see it, Nublar is smaller, so the number of animals on it might be relatively low, compared to Sorna. If we could send a military team in, wipe it clean, then take in the animals from Sorna and restock."

Wu shook his head. "We can't take animals from Sorna."

"What? Why?"

"For the same reason I told that ass Ludlow. They have the amphibian DNA, and not to mention they found a way around the Lysine contingency. No, to use those animals would be a mistake."

Simon frowned at this. "So, then what? Start from scratch?"

"We have the technology and the techniques now so we can work only from Nublar, without the need of a massive facility."

"But, what about the animals on Sorna?"

Wu sighed. "As drastic as it would be, I would destroy it, let the Costa Rican military deal with it."

"You mean, kill them? An entire ecosystem?"

"An artificial ecosystem, Simon. Remember, we created these creatures, we own their DNA. You have to remember that these creatures are simply creations in a lab."

Simon shook his head. "Wasn't the point of Jurassic Park is to bring awe and humility before nature? To show to the world the wonder of the natural world? If we treat these creatures as numbers on a spreadsheet, then what's the point? No..." Simon shook his head again. "We'll start over again on Nublar, but Sorna stays as it is."

Henry simply shrugged his shoulders. "OK. You're the boss. We'll start all over again on Nublar."

"Are we prepared for that? How many species do we have right now?"

"We currently have five species ready for immediate cloning, with several more still undergoing changes to fill in the gaps previously filled by the frog DNA. When completed, we will have ten in total."

"That's, excellent, just excellent."

"But before we can begin, we need to reclaim Nublar, and lay out advanced security measures to ensure another Nedry doesn't singlehandedly cripple the park."

Simon nodded. "I think I've got just the man for that."

* * *

 **Gotta love Malcolm. Had to recall a lot from the book, then imagine it through the mouth of Jeff Goldblum.**

 **Hardest part about this chapter? Explaining away Isla Sorna. Obviously its cannon, both in book and film, but with Nublar being the sight of the new park, and the old animals seemingly not being used (Minus Rexy, of course), I had to figure out why Sorna would just be ignored, minus the obvious need to wipe clean the slate of bad sequels.**

 **Now that we are past Hammond's passing (he he, puny), I will now be focusing more on the technical parts on how Jurassic World came to be, and start introducing the new characters.**

 **-Batman**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The Future of Security

 **Sorry for the delay, having some problems with writing Vic for some reason.**

 **Note to those who are familiar with my other works, keep an eye out for a familiar face.**

* * *

 **(Six months after Masrani's acquisition of InGen, 1998)**

Outside the InGen genetic research lab in Tuscan, Arizona, a man dressed in a camouflaged ghillie suit slipped through the pinewood forest surrounding the facility. The multi-building complex was situated behind two 15 foot high, chain linked fences with barbed wire run along the top. Unseen in the dense foliage, he took out his infra-red spotting scope and surveyed the area.

Inside the compound, he could see several guards patrolling the area, as well as two guard towers, one in the north, and another to the south of the compound. He tightened the zoom ring on his scope, focusing on his primary target: an enclosed space, about half an acre in size, near the center of the compound. A heavy barred, electric fence surrounded the space already concealed by dense foliage and terminated along the edge of a small white building.

"Yep, there you are" he said, almost excitingly once he located his target. "Let's see if your security can beat me this time" he said as he put his scope on the floor. He then removed his outer ghillie suit, slipping it over his head and throwing it to the ground. Under the suit was an all-black, military grade outfit, complete with a slim tactical vest, armed with everything he would need. Under cover of darkness, the man pulled out a dark red strip of fabric, two eye wholes cut out in it. He tied it tightly around his face and pulled a black full rim hat with a mesh crown to conceal the rest of his face.

"Now I'm ready" he said in unprofessional giddiness. The eccentrically dressed man creeped down the hill and to the gate…

Down below, a lone guard patrolling the gate scanned the foliage outside, looking intently for any sign of movement. The rifle in his hand was getting heavy, having been carried like an extension of his arms for the last two hours, but he was ignored the feeling. Much like the other guards he worked side by side with, he was military; he could do this all night if he had to.

Then, something moved in the bushes. That caught his attention, and he was on high alert. He raised his rifle and pointed it at the noise. For a while, nothing moved. Content with the lack of movement, he resumed his patrol, figuring it to be some sort of animal. Once again, the bushes moved. He raised his rifle again. This time he called "Show yourself!" into the foliage. Once again, nothing. Cautiously hesitant, he turned away, and yet again, the foliage moved. This time, he took out his high beam flashlight and pointed it into the bushes. "Who's there?!" he asked again. He aimed his light through the leaves and brush at every angle he could muster, seeing absolutely nothing. "What the hell is going on here?" he asked himself. He took out his radio. "Tyron reporting, got some disturbances outside the fence on south side, standby."

A moment later a "understood, standing by" came from his walkie.

Deep in the cover of the bush lay the source of this distraction: A small, round device with spokes sticking out of it rotating diligently at the command of a remote control. It moved the bushes, but lied deep enough to avoid detection. The the device had succesfully drawn attention away from the masked man while he snuck into the compound. While unable to scale the fence without attracting attention, he would use a very unconventional method of his own design. Watching the guard below from a tree just overlooking the compound, the masked man waited, perched on one of its thick branches. The man quietly pulled out a role of steel cable, a nylon mesh net attached to the end, while the other end was firmly knotted around the trunk. With the immediate threat distracted, he pushed away from the safety of the trunk and balanced himself onto the branch of the pine tree. It was just strong enough to carry him, but he would only be able to go so far out on the limb. Once he was a good distance from the trunk, he swung the end of his cable vertically, aiming for one of the taller buildings nearby, where a lightning rod was installed near the edge of the roof. After a few good swings, he flung the cable out and over the fence, clearing the barbed wire. The end piece of nylon netting hit the lighting rod with precision born of practice. It tangled itself nicely around the steel bar, forming a sturdy anchor.

Taking a few good pulls to ensure it was secure; he was quick to pull on the tiny, silent winch near the base of the cable until it was reasonably tight. Confident in his rig, he pulled out a small custom pulley attached to crossbar handles, placed it on the wire, and leapt of the branch. He pulled his legs up, keeping his center of gravity near the pulley to balance out his body. Timing it perfectly, while the guard kept his focus on the disturbances in the thick brush he gracefully slid along the line and over the space beneath him. As he approached the roof of the building, he gently placed his feet on the side wall to prevent noise and brace himself before pulling himself up and over onto the roof. Once securely across, he tapped the button on the remote.

After almost a minute of ceased movement in the bushes, the guard relaxed. "Tyron here, false alarm. Must have been an animal. Resuming watch."

"Ten four" replyed his comrade over the radio.

"Step 1, complete success" the man said, seeing the guard walk away from his hidden device. Moving on, he walked over to the edge of the opposite side of the roof, where he saw the fenced in compound below him. He peered into the foliage, imagining the creature hiding within. "Part two, now that's the hard part."

On a predictable pattern, the guards passed the compound, but at a pace that left no portion of the compound ever without a guard passing it. He needed to make himself a window of time. Making the decision, he pulled out a stock and a barrel from his backpack. A few quick turns later, add a silencer, and he had an assembled rifle. He got down to his stomach and took a shooting stance.

"Alrighty then, the next guard should be coming around the mountain right about…" he waited a few seconds as the next guard rounded the corner, "…now." He waited a second for the guard to walk into a blind spot between an in ground fuse box and a concrete shed, out of view from the watch towers. After taking aim, he fired. The silencer muffled the sound of the rifle, leaving only a quiet whiff as the projectile zoomed through the air, hitting its target on its intended spot. The guard flinched, but before he could get a yell out, he fell backwards, unmoving. Down in the blind spot, his body would go unnoticed by the watch towers, removing the possibility of raising any alarms.

"That gives me 45 seconds" said the man. Leaving the rifle on the roof and, without a thought, the masked man grabbed the side of the roof, flinging himself over the edge, and letting himself fall. Normally, a three story fall would cripple a man, if not kill him outright. But this man knew how to fall. Upon hitting the ground, he performed a calculated roll, redirecting the downward force of the impact and placing him safely on the dirt ground. Seeing a straight line between him and the outbuilding attached to the fence, he ran forward across the yard, making a beeline to the gate just outside the building. The gate was electrified, so he would first need to cut the power. The small control box just outside the gate was password protected; he would have to get passed that. He looked at the keypad, noting the fading paint on some numbers more than others. "Ah, four and five seem pretty worn" he said confidently. "But not as worn as 2…" He was familiar with this system. Depending on which buttons are hit first, the oils on the finger would increasingly wear the paint down as the person presses one button after the next. Understanding this from years of practice, the man could guess the code with ease.

"2, 5, 4, 7…" there was a beep and a small LED light lit up on the board. "Bingo!" he whispered. Then, to his surprise, a small square lit up just to the right, previously unknown to him. It beeped once, then twice on a second by second bases. "Aw crap" he said, just before the fourth then fifth beep sounded. Just after the fifth beep, a siren blared throughout the compound, alerting every living person to his presence. "Oh man!" he complained, standing up. "Son of a…"

"Don't move!" yelled a guard over a megaphone as a spotlight blinded the masked man. He stiffened looking down to his vest and seeing a little red laser light pointed at his diligently at his chest, followed quickly by several others. Moments later, one, two, then half a dozen guards were on him, all pointing their guns at him. The man raised his hands in defeat.

"You're under arrest!" said one of the guards.

"OK fine, you got me, I get it! But can someone tell me when the hell Ingen got their hands on FBI gear? I mean, a fingerprint scanner, really?"

Then he heard laughter, laughter he recognized. At the sound, the spotlights turned off, and the guards lowered their weapons. Parting ways for their superior officer coming through the behind them.

"Dang, you got far Wes!" said a young, recently promoted Vic Hoskins, a smile on his face. "But I believe the score is now, seven to three?"

Wesley, or Wes as he preferred, lowered his hands. "Yeah yeah. But seriously, I could get passed this bit of tech if I knew beforehand!" complained Wes.

"Hey, if we let you knew that, than it wouldn't be a challenge. Besides, here at Ingen, we spare no expense."

* * *

Vic's latest test was a success, though barely. The InGen lab used for his latest security test didn't have any living dinosaurs in any form, though it was set up like it would have been on Isla Nublar or Sorna. For the past two years, ever since being promoted to chief of security shortly after the failure of his predecessor following the disaster at the park, Vic had been testing his security against various skilled personnel, mostly former convicts of major thefts. Wesley Brawnstone, a former thief in the field of corporate espionage, as well as a known high end cat burglar on the side, was currently his most successful, albeit odd specialist. The man preferred to work in a mask and a hat, not for identity reasons mind you, simply because he found it terribly comfortable.

Despite his worldwide success, he had been unsuccessful as of late, Vic's measures proving a successful deterrent to the burglar. Though he had made it quite far, the test was not for overall security, but rather to test a specific component. This time, it was the state of the art finger scanning technology, which up until now in the mid-nineties had only been used for government buildings.

Vic met the Wes in the lab's break room, having grabbed himself a bagel from the refrigerator. Wes was already eating a bowl of cereal, his mask and his hat placed on the table before him.

"How's Trimmer?" Wes asked, referent to the man he shot with a rubber bullet. Knowing of an imminent test, the guards knew to fall down and remain quiet when hit with Nonlethal bullet. Though Trimmer, didn't need much acting; the bullet hit directly over his lungs, preventing him from calling for help even if he wanted too.

"Oh, he's fine. Just don't get in his way for a while."

"Noted."

"So, tell me, what was your reaction to the scanner lighting up before you?"

"Oh, I was thinking that was just the sort of shit you would pull on me."

Vic laughed. "Hey, it's an arms race, and lately, I've been on top of that race."

"You can say that again" Wes said as he took another bite of cereal. "I'm losing my touch man!"

"Losing your… what do you call that silent grappling hook you invented? That was pretty impressive."

"Not enough for the changing times my friend. You said it yourself, 7 to 3. Let's face it, my trade is over."

"Can't really call that a bad thing. You're still clean right?"

"Of course! Haven't stolen a thing in three months!"

"I thought it was five last I checked…"

"Well at least my honesty is improving."

Vic laughed, taking another sip of coffee. "Times are changing faster than expected my friend. Let me be the first to announce that Jurassic Park is a go."

Wes went wide eyed. "Wait, you're serious?" Vic nodded. "You mean to tell me, that after that disaster, and the indecent in San Diego, that people are going to go to it?"

"Think about it. A park like that could work, and it will" Vic said with optimism. "Why do you think I've been performing all these tests? I'm making sure those creatures can't get out, and that no one, not even you, can get in."

"Well, that would explain the robot T-rex you had trying to eat me last month... But Costa Rica won't let that happen."

"Wes, when money's involved, anything is possible. Come on, you should know this, you've worked with corporate espionage before."

"Eh, I always let my contacts take care of the corporate/political parts, I'm just given a challenge and I did them. I find that the more middle men you have, the less accountability there is when you get caught."

Vic chuckled, then took a sip of coffee. "Wesley, you're anything but a simple man."

"I just come complicated and unpredictable. My real pleasures are what's simple: Cheap thrills, money, and causing people pain, oh man do I love that latter one!"

Vic nodded. "Wesley, I need you to put your serious cap on right now."

"If I had one, believe me I'd use it."

"Wes, I'm serious. Things are changing, this world is changing. With Masrani reopening the Jurassic Park Project again, all new doors are going to open. Do you understand?"

"Well, I mean, sure, I guess."

"I mean, can you imagine the possibilities with these animals? Cures to diseases, chemicals that could changes our lives… do you even realize how many people one of those brachiosaurs on those islands could feed?"

Wes was quiet for a moment. "Bronto burgers! Heck yeah I'm down for that!"

"I'm serious! Imagine it! You could feed an entire village in India with just one of those!"  
"Yeah, and I'm sure we could train the T-rex to fight our wars" Wes said, laughing.

Vic however, was not joking. Wes continued to laugh until he took notice of Vic's face. "You think that's funny?"

"Uh well…"

"Brawnstone, do you really think that with the power we possess, that we're going to stop at amusement parks?"

"Well…"

"Think about it!" Vic said, leaning forward. "With these creatures, we can change the world!"

"Or get it eaten."

Vic leaned back. "Fine, believe what you want. But I'm not going to sit back and let opportunity run on by. It's like Darwin said…" Vic then stood up to leave, having finished his breakfast. "Survival of the fittest, and I intend to side myself with the survivors."

He then left, without so much of a goodbye. Wes just shook his head. "As soon as that time machine gets invented, I swear I'm going back to the Old West, when everything was simple."

* * *

That evening, Vic drove his Red Hummer through downtown Tuscan. Eventually he pulled over to a small BBQ restaurant. He promptly got out, got himself a table in the establishment, and waited. The place was well kept; recently replaced wood sides, clean tables, and the food wasn't half bad. It was a family establishment, so he couldn't smoke his cigars, which he wasn't happy about.

Ten minutes later, his associate arrived, right on time. The Middle aged man wore a causal red polo, tan pants, a blue cap, and sunglasses, which was looked odd in the evening light. He carried with him a small briefcase. Spotting Vic, he promptly walked over and sat at the table.

"You're overkilling the inconspicuous look" said Vic.

"I'm paranoid, what do you expect" replied the man simply. "Any updates?"

"Nothing besides Masrani constantly checking up on my progress. Let me assure you, nothing is getting out, or into that park without my permission."

"It better not" said the man. "We need this park to be a success. If this fails, InGen will never succeed and that research will disappear forever."

"I've been meaning to ask you" said Vic. "Why not just steal the information yourself? I actually know a few men who could pull that off."

The man shook his head. "No. Trust me, everything's already in play. Research costs millions, and InGen's scientists are already far ahead of our own, even if we acquired their research. And now with Jurassic Park being public knowledge, any research involving Dinosaurs is not going to get much funding. Hammond's star pupil was the only way to get things running again."

Vic nodded. "So, status quos?"

The man nodded. "Status quos, but remember, just play along until we give you the word, but don't be afraid to throw your ideas out there every now and then. Remember the plan, get close to Wu. Everything's riding on that!"

Vic nodded. "Yeah, I get it. What about my payment?"

The man lifted his briefcase and slid it to Vic under the table. Vic discreetly picked it up, cracked it open, and looked inside.

"Feel free to count that when you get home" said the man. Are you ready? There's no turning back now."

Vic closed the case, put it aside, and smiled. "Oh believe me, I'm ready."

* * *

 **I would like to personally thank Feathers Apart for beta reading this for me. Please feel free to check his page out and the awesome story that inspired this, "Pack Mentality"**

 **And so we enter the ongoing conspiracy seen in the film. This chapter proved difficult, trying to come up with a way to incorporate Vic's character. For some reason, I was having problems figuring out a back story, so I'm just going to keep it a mystery for now until I can nail something solid. Actually, I think it works better this way. Looking forward to that part with his ex-wife and the wolf cub.**

 **So, you may have noticed a familiar character if you read my other stories. Ladies and Gentlemen, Wesley Brawnstone, a fan favorite in my Frozen continuity. Somehow, the need for Vic to test his security measures came up, and the best way to do that is with a thief. Wesley, or Wes, being a thief, seemed like the best character to place here. Hey, if I ain't broke don't fix it. Obviously, I had to make some changes to him; less cartoony and more realistic and modern, as I added some military tech to his outfit, but still a sort of comic relief character with a major role to play. He won't be to common here, as I'm trying to keep the focus more on the major characters, but expect to see him again soon.**

 **Please review.**

 **-Batman**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

This Time it Will be Better

 **Sorry about that chapter mix up from my Frozen series, which was also on chapter four. This is what happens when you don't label properly!**

 **Here is the correct chapter.**

* * *

It was now nine months since Masrani acquired InGen, and nearly all of his time since then had been in preparation to resurrect Jurassic Park. He had Dr. Henry Wu prepare plans for a future lab for Isla Nublar, as well continue his research, while Vic Hoskins drew plans for new security measures. Masrani himself was a busy man; not only did he have run Masrani Corporations, but he was spearheading the Jurassic Park Project. Eventually, he would need an assistant to aid him in his endeavors.

But that would have to wait for later. Having changed the policy of the lease of Isla Nublar, any sort of project done on the island must be pre-approved by the Costa Rican Government. The day came when he had to present his case to the Costa Rican Ambassador, whose word alone could make or break the Park's future. While he still possessed both Nublar and Sorna, the government was hesitant for letting another disaster stemming from their watch. Their system of laissez faire with InGen has all but vanished now, and they would prefer that Jurassic Park would never be again.

That is something Simon Masrani would have to argue against. He and his team would have to prove that the new park would be a safe haven for both tourists and the extinct animals.

Simon arrived in San Jose at around noon on a Tuesday, along with his secretary, Rob, his legal councilor, Stacy Johanna, Dr. Wu, and Vic, who would be explaining InGen's newest security measures. After spending the night at the local five star hotel, they were to meet the ambassador, Francis Joaquin, in a private room of the San Jose Intelligence and National Security Department Building, known as the "Direccion de Inteligencia y Seguridad Nacional" (DIS) in Spanish.

At noon the next day, the driver of the limousine carrying Simon and his team pulled up to the building. They were immediately swarmed with news crews and interviewers. Rumors began to circulate surrounding Jurassic Park yet again, and the new owner of InGen was the center of attention and scrutiny. He and his team were bombarded with questions upon leaving their vehicle, the local security force struggling to hold them back. Vic, a master at detecting threats, was silent as he instinctually searched the crowd for threats, occasionally giving a particularly nosy individual a threatening glare, resulting in them backing off.

"Mr. Masrani, is you meeting today with the DIS a confirmation that you will be continuing the Jurassic Park Project?" asked one of the reporters. All the way to the front door, similar questions were asked, No one daring to answer any questions. Once safely through the doors, Vic said "So much for the big secret."

"Oh, I figured rumors would circulate after the merger" said Masrani. "Just worry about this meeting. Nothing else matters if they restrict our operations."

Indeed, after both Jurassic Park and the San Diego incident, the United States were not too keen on allowing such an attraction to take place, or any country for that matter. Hammond only managed to get Costa Rica because they didn't ask questions regarding what they did on his island. Now that word was out, they have since implored strict protocols regarding corporate operations, InGen high on that list.

Francis was already there in the meeting room, an older, balding Hispanic man. He was sitting alone in the room with two of his staff, files and reports ready to back him up. Masrani was just as prepared, however, determined to get Jurassic Park back on schedule. Joaquin stood, then extended his hand to greet them.

"Mr. Joaquin" greeted Masrani, extending his hand as well.

"Hola" replied Joaquin in a deep, Hispanic accent.

"Let me introduce Stacy Johanna, my chief legal counselor, Victor Hoskins, chief of security at InGen, Dr. Wu, InGen's chief geneticist, and my assistant, Rob Sierra."

Francis and his staff greeted Masrani's team, then sat down, ready to get down to business.

"Thank you for coming in person" said Francis. "Rest assured that this meeting will remain confidential. Isla Numbalr has been evacuated as of 1993, am I correct?"

"Yes" said Masrani.

"And there have been no expeditions to it ever since?"

"No sir."

"Now, Isla Sorna on the other hand?"

"That was before Mr. Masrani's time" said Stacy Johanna. The dark haired woman interlocked her fingers together. "In 1996, Hammond sent an exploratory team to investigate the status on the animal life. His nephew, Peter Ludlow, who at that time took control of the company, decided to launch his own expedition to recapture some of the animals in attempt to start a sort of amusement park in Sand Diego, something we dare not attempt."

"So, neither you yourself or anyone under your company had any dealings with InGen's policies up until now?"

"Not until almost a year ago, no."

Francis nodded. He whispered something to his compatriot in Spanish, then turned back to Vic. "Mr. Hoskins, I understand you were promoted following the incident on Isla Nublar? Replacing Robert Muldoon's position?"

"That is correct" said Vic. "Though I wouldn't call Robert Muldoon my predecessor. I preceded Anthony Freese, who only handled security, while the late Robert Muldoon dealt with the actual security of the dinosaurs."

"Are you familiar with him?"

"I've read the reports on his position."

"OK, then tell me, what did he do wrong?"

Vic leaned back a bit, stretching his sore back. "No one person did anything wrong with Jurassic Park, Mr. Joaquin. Yes, some people messed up more than others. "But the main failure lied in a combination of events. Anthony Freese failed to do the proper background check on Dennis Nedry, who had since been associated with corporate espionage, and who his employer was we may never know, however. Nedry totaled the Park's electrical fencing, giving the animals a change to escape. He did so by taking advantage of the Park's heavily automated system, designed by Ray Arnold, the Park's deceased chief engineer."

"So automation was what you believe to be what ultimately led to the Park's failure?"

Vic nodded.

Francis then looked back at one of his reports. "And, what about this report here, in which one of the consultants, Dr. Alan Grant, said about the amphibian DNA in the dinosaurs?"

All eyes turned to Dr. Wu. "That, was, an unfortunate side effect of filling in the genetic code" said Wu, crossing his fingers meticulously, fearful of the many eyes on him. "You see, because the original DNA was damaged by decay, we had to make educated guesses about how the codes would proceed. Based on the patterns' amphibian DNA seemed to be the closest match. Now, the how much the new DNA affected the old DNA was a variable no one thought could lead to such drastic changes. Now we no better."

"You do now?" asked Francis, questioning the statement.

"Yes. Since the disaster, InGen had been studying how a code translates into phenotypic and genotypic expressions, mostly with plants, but recently with animals. We have just started reexamining the DNA of the dinosaurs, and I can now safely say that we have identified the gene responsible for sex change, and have eliminated it.

Francis nodded, still not convinced, glancing at one team member to the next to analyze their reactions. "And how sure are you, that you know which genes do that is?"

Wu smiled. "Let me show you..." Wu then turned and asked Stacy for the file in question. Moments later, she handed him a yellow envelope out of her brief case. He quickly went through it and pulled several pages of photos. "Allow me to introduce, Daisy, the 12 inch elephant." Wu threw forward a photo, showing a miniature elephant, with him standing next to it with a ruler. Francis and his team looked at the image with great curiosity. "She was bred by identifying genes that control not only the size of the bone structure, but the organs, the vascular system, arteries, everything. And she has been alive now for almost a year." Having heard the description, Francis laughed.

Wu smiled, expecting that very response, though still uncomfortable with it. "I realize a picture is hard to believe, and due to customs, we are unable to ship anything living out of the country, particularly from InGen. But feel free to give that picture to your analysts to ensure authenticity."

"I realize that it looks impossible" said Masrani after seeing Francis' un believing reaction, "but the world said that to a Dinosaur theme park just a few years ago."

Francis shot him a bemused glare. "A _functioning_ park? I'm still amused." He then threw the picture back across the table. "Look, I realize that you've done your homework and cited your sources of error, but you're dealing with two islands here..."

"One, island" corrected Masrani.

Francis shot him a look. "One?"

"Yes. We have no plans to further develop that island."

Francis crossed his arms. "What about Site B? It said in Ian Malcolm's testimony that is where you bred the animals."

"Things have changed since then" said Wu. "With new technology, we can truly place all of our facilities, and the park, on one island."

"Ah, I see. But what about Sorna then? Are you just going to make it the government's problem?"

"No" said Masrani. "Of course not. Hammond meant it when he said he wanted Sorna to be left alone as a preserve. I agree with him."

Francis shrugged. "Well, if you just want to leave it alone, that's your business, but securing that island is your problem. Make sure nothing gets off and no one get's on. No research or projects, got it?"

Masrani nodded. "Yes, of course. Sorna is our responsibility."

"You know, the government wanted to bomb that island too, but as soon as word got out that dinosaurs exist once again, the public outcry to protect them was astronomical... Now, back to Nublar. Since the U.S. Navy _did_ bombed that island, I'm assuming there to be no dinosaurs left?"

Indeed, Nublar was carpet bombed following the escape of Dr. Harding and his daughter, along with mercenary Nima Cruz. InGen's executives, learning about the disaster, panicked and thought to eliminate the threat. They had been on edge regarding this risky experiment, and as soon as they heard of the incident, they alerted the US government to the possible danger, and the island was bombed.

There was however, more to the story.

"Yes, the island was bombed heavily" said Simon. "But according to a friend of mine, zoologist Jessica Marshall, an expert in the habitat of mega fauna, assures me that it is very possible that something could have survived, in fact she guarantees it. Nublar is a large island, with deep jungles and plenty of places creatures could have outlasted the bombings.

Francis leaned forward. "So, _two_ islands with dinosaurs on it?"

"Maybe" said Vic.

"And we should just, let you add who knows how many more, with more accidents, more incidents?" He laughed. "Forget it. I'm not convinced..."

"Mr. Jauquin, please" said Masrani. "Think of the profits it could bring this country. A resort like that will bring hundreds of wealthy tourists on a daily basis! Your economy could radically improve!"

"And if another incident occurred? You would never reopen, and I'll be labeled as the one who let that happen!"

"What if I can assure you that security will be different this time?" asked Vic. "I'm assuming you read my file" he said, poorly concealing his pride.

"Yes, your reputation proceeds you Mr. Hoskins" said Joaquin. Knowing which file to pick out, his assistant pulled out a few sheets of paper from his briefcase an handed it to him. "You are considered by some to be a potential star in the field of security science. It even says here you were asked to serve on the US Secret Service, but you declined?" he asked in question.

Vic initially and briefly frowned, but was quick to hide it. "Yes, well, I saw more possibilities in InGen. It was after all a failed background check that let Dennis Nedry in in the first place."

Francis shook his head.

"Mr. Joaquin" interrupted Masrani. "I sympathizes with your concerns. Really I do. Let me tell you personally that, while I admired Hammond as a second father to me, he was very much human. Do you want to know why Jurassic Park failed, the heart of the problem? It wasn't incompetence as everyone would believe, it was is eagerness to make his dream a reality. He intentions were pure, but he was so carasmatic to achieve his American dream, he failed to take a step back, and look at what was going on. Dr. Wu would have picked up on frog DNA problem if he were allowed to work slow, rather than make these creatures as fast as he could. Mr. Arnold could have improved the backup systems if he put less attention into getting the park operational as quickly as possible. Even Ludlow, in his eagerness to take InGen out of bankruptcy, went onboard with the first half baked idea he could muster. What Hammond tired to build was a monument to Men's ingenuity, but great advances rarely work that fast. It must be taken slowly, and methodically; a direction I intend this new park to take."

Joaquin nodded slowly, seeing logic in Masrani's words. But he needed more.

"Look, I agree that this could really help the Costa Rican economy, and the government would love to make up for that disaster, but I need assurences. Can you look me in the eye, and promise me that you can handle any problem that arises with professional results?"

Masrani smiled. "Sir, I promise: I will see to it _personally_ that any incident is immediately contained."

* * *

Later that evening, Masrani held a small celebration in the dining room of his hotel suite. It was nothing major, just a few entres he had brought up for his very limited aquentencies in celebration on Francis Joaquin singing off on the contract to renew the loan for Isla Nublar. He looked out his balcony, out to the mountains in the distance, imagining them to be Isla Nublar, with a theme park of dinosaurs at its foot. He lifted his glass to his silent partner. "It's coming together John" he whispered, raising his wine glass to his former mentor.

A few moments later, he decided to walk back inside, seeing the people and the minds behind the faces that would assure the new park to be a success: Dr. Wu, who broke many bounderies just being able to extract and clone the DNA that made all this possible, and Victor Hoskins, whose brilliant standards of security would ensure the safety the first park never had. In his mind, he knew that this park would work.

"Gentlemen and Lady" he said aloud, Stacy being his only female attendant. Everyone turned to face him "I would like to thank you all for the parts you played in making this a reality. On this day, we begin the continuation of Hammond's dream, to create, living biological attractions so astounding, that they will capture the imagination, of the entire world."

At this, everyone raised their glasses.

"Let's raise a toast, to Jurassic Park. May it bring about humility before nature, and pave the way to new an exciting advances for the human race."

His toast was met with cheers, and they drank to the new park.

* * *

Late that evening, Victor finally retired to his room. Once he had locked the door, he quickly ran over to pick up his phone. He dialed a number, then waited.

"Who is it?" asked a male voice on the other end.

"It's Hoskins" Vic replied. "We just got back."

"I'm assuming you were successful?"

"Yes, just like you said."

"I told you they would cave in. Masrani didn't get to where he was without a certain flare."

"Yeah yeah, what now?"

"Now we go silent. No word for one year on this date. You remember the plan?"

"It was my idea, was it?

"Good. Now remember, do not resume normal communication until the park is opperational. Everything's riding on your Victor, I hope you know what you're doing."

Vic smiled. "Let me repeat what I said when I first proposed this idea to you: Once I get Wu under my influence, InGen will finally fall into ruin, and it's research, and its top mind, will be all yours."

"Good. See you then." After that, the caller hung up.

* * *

 **Yikes, sorry for the major delay. Had a particular problem with this chapter, and honestly I'm still not to thrilled about it, but I had to include something about how Costa Rica could possibly let another park happen. I admit it seems sketchy, but given the competency of governments now a days, totally plausible.**

 **The tiny elephant was a reference to the book, where Hammond used an altered elephant to help persuade investors to fund InGen.**

 **Next chapter will defenently see some progression in the plot, mostly because we are headed back to Isla Nublar!**

 **Get ready!**

 **-Batman**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Return to Isla Nublar

 **Note: I would like to dedicate this chapter to the victims in the terrorist attack in France.**

* * *

With the passing of May 22, 1998, the Government officially gave Masrani Corporations complete control of their island, with permission to continue with Hammond's intended purpose for it. Isla Sorna, on the other hand, would be handled by InGen Security, under the supervision of Ted Warner, a man Vic Hoskins hired specifically for the job. While onsite security was impossible, continuous airplane sweeps and a small ship with regular rotations kept at least some eyes on the island.

Despite his best efforts, word eventually got out via investigative journalists and loud mouth employees that Jurassic Park was being rebuilt, even if the news was never made official. The company tried its best to keep any more rumors and leaks under wraps; public opinion of Jurassic Park was still unpopular, either for safety concerns, the consequences if these animals were to ever break containment, or the ethical question of "should it be done?" While many of his advisors took these opinions seriously, Masrani already had his mind made when he signed the final agreement, claiming full responsibility for the actions of InGen and this new park. This open defiance to some of his advisors put strain high in the chain of command, some wondering if Simon had become obsessed with the island. His attention towards other projects were put on hold, and stockholders threatened to pull out.

Despite this, Simon used his charisma and his natural ability to inspire confidence in people to keep things stable, for now.

Now there was no turning back; Jurassic Park was happening.

* * *

While Isla Nublar was now under complete control of InGen and Masrani Corporations, it was far from being "there's." In order to begin construction, first the original animals that had now roamed the island for five years now had to be eliminated, or "cleansed" as Wu put it. He considered these animals as "mistakes", having deviated from his design and control parameters. It was an embarrassment, and he was among the loudest voices in eliminating every trace of their presence.

It was unknown exactly what survived, and with a list of over 13 species and the high variability of habitats on the island, no one knew what to expect. And with over five years of natural breeding, the amount of animals could be high. Nothing will be certain, though, until a ground team was sent in to evaluate the island. This was now Victor Hoskin's moment to prove himself.

Having served with the U.S. Army, Vic was the most qualified man to lead the 'reclamation', as Vic has taken to calling it. His team would consist of about fifty men, three helicopters, and an entire arsenal of the best weaponry available to them, something the original Jurassic Park lacked. Near the island will be the mission's base camp: A modified bulk carrier, a ship purchased by Masrani almost a year ago in preparation for this operation. Since then, it has been heavily modified; it's large platform, previously used to hold tons and tons of shipping containers, now has three helicopter platforms, as well as designated sections for other vehicles. It's lower levels were converted from massive holding rooms to many smaller rooms, most of which private quarters, but also medical rooms, rec rooms, a cafeteria, a conference room, and other such designated places to serve the team for how ever long this mission might take, up to several months if necessary. Known previously as the S.S. Sonia, it had now been renamed the "S.S. Hammond."

With the S.S. Hammond prepared and ready for this mission, all Vic Hoskins had to do was to finish his evaluations of his strike team. Though he had a whole InGen security force on his hand, he was under orders by Simon himself that this was to be a volunteer mission. Given this was being called a "suicide mission" within ranks, the volunteer count was extremely low. Some on the force had friends who went to Sorna, friends who couldn't even be buried. This forced Vick to outsource, going over stacks of personnel files for possible recruits. And out of every batch of letters sent out, less then a quarter of them accepted. Vic was now scraping the bottom of the barrel, still needing just a few more volunteers to make this team a reality.

He was currently scraping this said barrel when the last person he wanted to see came through his door, failing to knock as usual.

"Vicky! What's hanging?" said the overly casual Wesley Brawnstone, Vic's _seemingly_ reformed criminal friend and "security evaluator."

"Brawnstone? What on earth are you doing here?" asked Vic from behind his desk, cross with his eventual list of volunteers.

"First of all, what kind of greeting is that? How about 'Hey my main man, what's up mi homie?' We need to work on your manners."

Vic leaned back, sighing; he quickly surmised what Wesley came here for. "Wesley, listen, I told you already, you are not qualified for this mission."

"Oh come on!" Wes said exasperatingly. "You know it's every kid's dream to hunt dinosaurs!"

"Wesley, you're what, twenty seven?"

"Physically yes, mentally... Anyway, how am _I_ not qualified? I can shoot, I can hunt, heck, I can steal your wallet if I wanted to."

"Those hunts were _guided_. And besides this is the jungle; you're a city boy."

"Haven't you heard of the _urban_ jungle. People carry guns. Dinos can't, not unless you guys cave them opposable thumbs in their DNA."

"Wesley, no."

Wes waved his hands, preparing for one last request. "OK OK. I'm giving you one final chance to hire a sharpshooting, master of stealth, fit to the max, safe cracking genius on your team. Just remember, this is your last chance, and I'm not going to beg."

"No" Vic replied without any hesitation or a second thought.

At that, Wes went to his knees, gripped his hands togather, and bowed before Vic's desk. "OH PLEASE OH PLEASE LET ME GO! I'M BEGGING YOU! HAVE MERCY UPON MY PITIFUL SOUL!"

"Wes, get up!" Vic shouted as he sat up, looking over his desk. "Have some dignity!"

Wes, seeing that his act wasn't fooling anyone, crawled back up. "Come on Vic" he said now in a slightly more serious tone, though ready to go back to begging if the moment called for it. "Look at me! I've failed the last half dozen tests you put me through. You remember where I was where you found me, in prison! I can't keep up with the technology, Vic! My criminal life is over, and my skills aren't exactly stuff you would put on a resume! You're the only one who's hired me in months and even that is coming to an end and you know it! This is my last chance for a legitimate career!"

"Wes, come on..."

"Let me sign a waiver or something."

"You think I'm not doing that with everyone already? This isn't just some walk in the park..."

"He he, 'walk in the park.'"

"Would you pay attention! People died the last time some one was on that island! Then three years later, an expedition was led to the other island, and only one third of that team made it back!"

"Well, they didn't have much in the way of guns either." Vic sighed, ready to scold Wes again, but Wes was quick to talk back. "Look, I know the risks, and I realize I might die, but gosh darn it, Vic, I can't keep on as your test thief! My old life is over, _extinct._ I need to find a new niche in the world and Jurassic Park is my ticket to it!"

Vic gave him a serious look. He looked back to his stack of applications and waivers; not a particularly big list or filled with names he liked. But at least they had experience in combat. Wesley he knew prided himself in leaving no trace of his presence. He never even carried a gun, not even after those few close calls when guards sent bullets just missing his ears. And it's not like he couldn't use a gun; he saw him in the firing range, and he was a crack shot. Whether it was out of pride, or a death wish, or he actually valued human life, Wes never used agun in combat before.

But then again, he thought all of the sudden, nearly all of his team would be hardened, set in their ways soldiers. Fighting humans and fighting dinosaurs were two totally different scenarios. Changing tactics would be something of a challenged to seasoned vets, who were borderline stubborn in their tactics. Wes, however, Vic knew to be one to adapt. To get away with what his record claims, he had to change plans on the job, sometimes completely forming new strategies on the spot. The only reason he had failed is his technophobia. Wes formulated his plans based on knowhow and street smarts, not what he had to go to a university to learn. While he was immature, and considered by many to be delusions of grandeur, he knew from personal experience that Branwstone was no joke when it came to what he did best. And though he never would admit it, he has grown found of his test thief.

That, and he knew full well Wes would make his life a living hell if he didn't bring him along. Worse, he would probably hijack some drunk pilot's craft, fly over, and jeopardize the mission. if anything, bringing him along would outweigh the liabilities.

"Brawnstone, let's be serious now. If I were to consider this..."

"You're considering?!" Wes said, failing miserably to conceal his glee.

"Calm down, let me finish. If I were to bring you along, I am your commanding officer. You are to listen to my every word without question. And before we leave in three weeks..." Vic reached into his desk and pulled out two books, then handed them both to Wes. "I want you to read these books. Got it?"

Wes reached over and grabbed the books. One read "U.S. Army Tactics Field Manual", while the other one read "Surviving the Backcountry".

"If you can read that, _comprehend_ it, and be able to ask any question I ask, then you're on the team."

Wes held the books to his side, stood erect, and saluted Vic. "Sir, you've got yourself a volunteer!"

Vic nodded. He then reached into his desk and pulled out more forms. "You'll have to sign some additional forms since you have no military or law enforcement experience. Remember, you're doing this on your own free will. And let me tell you right now; the odds for a person with no military background making it through this are slim. I don't expect to see you alive when this is over."

Wes smiled, grabbing the forms from Vic's hands. "Sir, I can't wait to see your face when I make it back."

* * *

It was another three weeks of planning, preparing, and form signing before everything was finally set in place in Quepos, Costa Rica. Luckily, Masrani's press team was able to keep this operation under wraps, so their was no paparazzi present to distract the team. Everything was loaded onto unmarked crates containing supplies and weaponry onboard the Hammond, along with all the available personnel. The three military helicopters and the off-road vehicles where to only things they couldn't hide, though luckily only drew a few suspicious eyes.

Wes somehow passed Vic's makeshift test, and was officially signed on to the mission. He boarded the vessels, carrying with him an unusually large duffle bag. Vic began second guessing himself when he heard something metallic clanging around in it.

Already on board was Dr. Robert Skies, a respected paleontologist on leave from a dig in Patagonia. Rob specialized in prehistoric ecosystems. While not considered the top brain in his field, he was one of the few who agreed to take InGen up on their offer. He was young, and like many in his field had light black facial hair and is eager to make a name for himself. He was thin and wore glasses, giving of the appearance of an inexperienced graduate student. Though hesitant to speak his mind, he had proven himself in the field to be able to rough it.

He didn't appear a hardened outdoorsmen right now however as he fumbled around with his overly packed duffle bags and suitcases, trying to make his way into his cabin when one of Vic's Marine team members happens by. The marine was an older man with greying hair, though he still had an intimidating stare about him. He stood patiently as Rob, who was blocking the hallway, tried to fit himself and the luggage into his cabin. The Marine, waited about thirty seconds before finally intervening by pulling a bag of his shoulder, which gave Rob just enough room to enter his cabin.

"Oh, thank you" said Rob with an English accent.

The marine simply nodded. Rob, trying to be friendly, extended his hand to shake. "Rob Skies."

The marine extended his hand. "Jethro Banks."

"Well, thanks again Mr. Banks."

Jethro turned to leave, but stopped when he recognized the name. "You're the dino expert right?"

"Oh, yes!" said Rob in excitement. "That's me."

Jethro nodded. "You know I was on Sorna when InGen tried to take that Trex home."

"Really?" said Rob with curiosity. "Wow, I didn't think anyone..."

"I signed onto this force" said Jethro, anticipating Rob's response. "If I couldn't handle what they threw at me, I would have resigned a long time ago. So, you're replacing Burke?"

"Burke?" asked Rob. "Who..."

"A dino expert, just like you."

Rob nodded nervously. "And, what happened?..."

" _She_ ate him." said Jethro with a smirk, then briskly walked down the hall. "Be lucky you're stuck on this tub and not going with us!" he yelled down the hall.

Rob gulped. He turned to his room and closed the door.

* * *

Outside on the docks, Simon was checking everything with the pilot, doing things himself as usual. "Is everything ready to go?" Simon asked the captain, Jim Charlestain.

"Still waiting on that one more crate Mr. Masrani" he said. "After that, we're ready to ship out. Already got the official all clear to leave port. Are we waiting on any other personnel?

"Just one more" Masrani said. "Where is she?" he asked as he looked around. As he turned, he spotted a yellow cab parking near the docks, and out came a tough looking young woman, wearing a brown denim jacket with a plaited shirt and blue jeans, carrying a large duffle bag over her shoulder. She was near Simon's age, 30 to be exact, with long curly hair. "Ah, there she is" he said as he walked over to meet her. He waved after she finished paying the cab, and she did likewise upon seeing him. After the cab drove off, she was quick to walk forward and give him a hug.

"Simon!" she said enthusiastically as she hugged him. "My God! It's been forever!"

"Jessica, thank you for coming!" said Masrani to his old college friend. "How was the trip?"

"Hell. Man I hate flying."

"Well, you could have driven down three thousand miles" he joked.

"I would have if you hadn't bought my tickets already" she said in mock criticism.

Simon smiled. "Oh, it's defiantly you Jessica. Come on, we're leaving soon."

"Right. Sorry I'm late by the way. Stupid security didn't believe my passport picture was me. Thought I was going to be detained for sure."

"Hey, we can't account for everything, can we? Too many variations."

"Variations? Have you been talking to Malcolm?"

"No, I never had the pleasure of meeting him, though I did take a few looks at his book. Very negative fellow I'm sure."

Jessica laughed. "Let's say I met him once, and left depressed and enlightened at the same time."

"Really. Now I'm curious to meet him. Watch your step on the boardwalk Jessica."

"Oh my... do we have to have to have this conversation every time? It's Jess."

"Alright, _Jess"_ he said, not liking the taste of the word in his mouth.

Jess smiled. "Yep, you're Simon alright" she said as they walked up the boardwalk. Simon stopped for a moment as she continued on.

"What is that supposed to mean?" he asked before following her up the plank.

* * *

With Masrani and Jessica being the last people onboard, the ship departed on January 5, in the coolest months of the year Costa Rica will ever get, which isn't saying much.

Isla Nublar was about 120 miles off the coast, and at 24 knots, it would take about five hours to reach the island. At around four hours into the trip, Masrani was overlooking the front bow of the ship , leaning on the railing, watching the horizon for Nublar. Approaching him on his right was Jessica.

"What are you looking at?" she asked, sipping some coffee. It was now mid afternoon, and the tropical sun forced the native Montanan to put on her sunglasses and remove her favorite jacket.

Simon turned to greet her. "Oh, I'm just looking, waiting for the island to show up. I want to thank you again for coming with us."

"Well, you said you needed a predator biologist for a dinosaur expedition, so what sort of normal person would say no?"

"You'd be surprised. You were my last hope for someone of your expertise."

"So, I wasn't your first choice?" she asked.

"What? Oh, no it wasn't that!" he quickly corrected. "I mean, what with your job in Montana, I didn't want to disturb you..." he stopped blabbering when she started laughing.

"Relax Simon, I was kidding. I do get busy, but really, I was happy to help."

Simon smiled. "Thank you Jessie, for coming."

Jessie smiles, though more awkwardly. "Listen, I still have reservations about killing these animals. And you know me I'm not against hunting, I do it myself, but, well..."

"You feel strange about killing _extinct_ animals?" he asked, fully realizing the word "extinct" didn't apply anymore.

"Well, that, yes."

Simon sighed, looking back at the horizon. "I feel the same way Jessica. Hammond I know would have objected to it as well. But this park is the only way to make InGen profitable again, and I owe him that. But these animals no longer belong in our world, with capabilities far beyond our understanding. Letting them breed on their own with a functioning park is just too much a liability. It was after all one of the factors that lead to the disaster."

Jess nodded. "And, what are we going to do with the animals after they're all dead?"

Simon looked back at her. "That, we'll figure out when the time comes. Honestly, I don't know what we'll find, if there are any animals at all. Perhaps I brought you all the way down here for nothing."

"Oh, gee; and here I thought you brought me down to relive old memories?"

"Well, I mean, if you want..." He started saying with an edgy voice.

"I'm kidding Simon" Jessica joked. "I'm fine with it, we'll catch up afterwards, deal?"

"Yeah, sure" said Simon. "But, we won't be working the entire time, and after a few weeks, I'm sure we'll find some catching up."

They were inturupted in mid-sentence when Simon's slip-phone went off. He frowned, taking it out of his pocket. "Of course" he said. "I'm sorry"

"Go ahead" she said, waving him off. Simon walked off to take the call while Jessie looked out over the ocean. While nothing bothered her for the most part, he still felt bad about taking the call.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Simon, it's me, Henry" said Dr. Wu over the phone.

"Ah, Henry. How are you?"

"As fine as expected, I guess. How are you? Have you arrived yet?"

"Not yet. Still another hour or so."

"Excellent. Glad to hear it" replied Wu. "I'm calling to let you know that the we have just received the last shipment of gene sequencers."

"Really?" asked Simon. "That was quick."

"Yes, well, I have a friend at Biosystems who pulled some strings to get it in fast. We are ready Mr. Masrani."

"Ready?"

"I have just completed and thouroghly examined the genomes for Galliminus, Compsongnathus, and Parasaurlophus. I can basically begin cloning procedures whenever I wanted. As soon as you are done there, Jurassic Park is ready to begin."

Simon laughed. "Outstanding! Well done Henry!"

"Thank you sir. I'm a little anxious to begin myself."

"Just don't go making dinosaurs on the mainland now" he joked. Part of the agreement with the United States, Costa Rica, and nearly every country on earth InGen has a presence in, was that not dinosaurs, not even their embryos, is to be present on the mainland. Simon knew Wu was too responsible to do anything foolish such as to begin cloning before the island was even reclaimed, but still... "Just be patient. I'll keep you up to date on our progress. Once the last animal is put down, we will begin construction, and then we will ship everything over."

"Good news sir. But what am I going to do in the meantime?"

"Well, after we take care of this, take a vacation. You deserve it."

"Thank you sir."

"Listen, Henry, I have to go now. I'll let you know when we anchor. Talk to you later." With that, he hung up. He turned to Jessie, who was listening intently.

"Good news?" she asked.

"Oh, excellent. That was Dr. Wu. Everything is ready to go, once we are able to habituate the island again."

"Really? that was fast, wasn't it?"

"That was the easy part" he said. "What comes next when we land will be easily one of the more difficult issues."

Jessie was now staring out over the water again. Five seconds past with her listening when she spotted something in the distance, something she hadn't noticed before, and it was getting bigger. "Um, Simon?" she asked.

"I mean, these aren't you're pesky rats or mice. I mean, imagine if the animals bounced back after the bombing."

"Simon" she continued on.

"I'm actually hoping we don't find any..."

Simon!" she said, this time grabbing his head and pointed it in the direction she was looking. It took him a second to focus in on the land mass in the distance.

"Is that...?" she asked

"That's it" Simon said with growing enthusiasm. "My God, that's it!"

* * *

At around four and a half hours, much of the team who would accompany Vic went down to the lower quarters, where in one of the larger rooms, Vic gave one last review of the plan. While much of the men sat on the floor, Vic was pacing the front of the room, re-explaining the procedures.

"... Remember, the first day is strictly recon. The recon team will land at the visitor center at 08:00 with the vehicles. Once we have a base set up, the choppers will make three rounds to make a full assessment of the island. Once we have a lay of the land, we will then take the next day and begin our ground excursion with the choppers for support.

Remember the species that are present, particularly the carnivores. Only one Tyrannosaurus was ever bred, and their might be breeding populations of dilophosaurus and velociraptors. Remember, the raptors are smart, equal to that of chimps; they can form plans, and communicate. These aren't the human militants you are used to; they will win in a hand to hand fight, so always, _always_ keep your guns loaded. Remember men, this isn't a hunting party. We are here to clear the island of these dangerous animals. If any one survives, it will be a great danger to the contruction workers in the future, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir!" they all replied in unison.

"Good. Now, lets recap on maneuvers..."

Cutting Vic off was a loud, static voice over the intercom. It was Masrani, speaking as if he were waking his parents on Christmas morning. The way he acted, Vic thought, he wondered how he came to be the leader of a multi-million dollar industry.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have arrived. Please come to the top deck, over."

Vic sighed, cross with the interruption. "Alright fine, we'll resume later, go on."

Everyone exited the lower levels, eager to reach the top deck to witness the island for the first time. The crammed and pushed their way through the corridors until the made it to the surface. As the men made their way up, they beheld the green, mountainous island that is Isla Nublar, a.k.a. Jurassic Park.

"Dang, there it is" said one of the men, an infantry man named Dick Jones. He was in his late thirties, and had an act for being a thrill seeker, a title that earned him trouble back in the army. "Dinosaur Capitol of the World."

* * *

The boat anchored off about a mile off the island. Since it was afternoon, the team would leave early the next morning. By that time, tensions were high, and the men were anxious. They knew full well that some of them would never make it back.

As planned, the seven men recon team was sent to the island first with the equipment. With the men spread out among the choppers to divide the weight, each helicopter carried a jeep attached to a cable swinging freely beneath them, along with equipment stored inside. The choppers flew through the familiar canyon, making a bee-line for the coordinates of the visitor center.

Amongst Vic's team was Wes, who was scoping out the land below, his hand gripping the safety bar as he leaned out. He and the rest of the men were dressed in full military gear, their vests loaded with weapons, technological aids, and survival gear. This portion of the island didn't seem too affected by the bombings to him, though it was probably too steep for anything large to live, so Wes went back to the three-seater bench in the rear of the helicopter.

Vic turned to see that Wesley had on a headset attached to a CD player he had attached to his belt. He was humming whatever song he was listening to himself. Vic rolled his eyes.

Dick Jones was sitting in the middle of the bench, between Wes and another marine. He was becoming greatly annoyed by Wes' humming.

"Would you stop it!" Dick shouted

Wes flinched, taking his headphones off. "What?"

"Stop humming! You're driving me insane!"

"It's my pump up music! I need to listen to my jam before I go into battle."

Dick shook his head. "We're flying over an island with dinosaurs, and you need music to get in the zone? What are you listening too anyway?" In response, Wes took off his headset and passed them to him for Dick to listen. He pressed it to his ear. There were no words to the song, only an upbeat, horn dominated piece which sounded like a movie score. He shook his head and shoved the headset back to Wes. "What the heck is this?" he asked. "This sounds like an orchestra."

"I'll have you know John Williams is an up and coming musical genius! Haven't you ever seen 'Jaws'?"

Dick just rolled his eyes and ignored Wes, looking out the side of the chopper while Wes put his headset back on.

As they flew on, they exited the canyon, passing a waterfall and the original landing platform, where two park jeeps still stood, untouched since the evacuation. The valley opened up, revealing the interior of the island, and it was a site to behold:

Aside from a few patches of untouched jungle, most of the island appeared to have been burnt out, leaving large patches of leveled forests and scorched tree trunks. Vic looked on, leaning forward as he tried to get a better look. As they flew closer towards the interior, he could see several craters from the bombs, surrounded by up to several miles of burnt jungle. He realized that some of the cleared area wasn't burnt at all, but rather trampled, as if it were ripped up by bulldozers, with overturned trees and ripped up earth. In the sections where the vegetation had been stripped, the remnants of the old infrastructure could be seen; buildings, fencing, and moats.

The rest of the crew looked on; it wasn't the rich jungle Hammond left it as, nor the site they were expecting.

"What a dump" said Dick.

As if to further exemplify the sorry state of the island, they could see many large skeletons; some of which were the massive bones of the Brachiosaurs, as well as some Triceratops skulls and other mixed bones. Among them were smaller shapes, a medium sized dinosaur, the identify of which could not bee confirmed, being too far away. They scurried into the surrounding vegetation as the chopper neared.

* * *

Back in the boat, in a room designated as the conference room, Masrani, Jessie, Dr. Robert, and some of the other onboard scientists and crewmen observed the island thorugh the wireless cameras streaming live feed to a large screen against the wall of the room.

"What the hell happened here?" asked Rob.

Jessie crossed her arms, then took a step closer to the screen.

"Bombs couldn't have done this alone" said Vic over the intercom, his voice projected loud enough for the whole room to hear.

* * *

 **Finally got a chance to get back to this. Sorry about the wait. Like I said on my Tumblr page, I won't be able to get back to regular updates until December.**

 **Jessie Marshall is an original character I made for my original book. This is sort of a test for me to play around with her character, as she is a biologist, so she actually fits in here pretty well. After this chapter, we will now get into the exciting dinosaur part of this story.**

 **And in case you didn't catch on, yes, that is "Journey to the Island" Wes was listening to.**

 **Thanks again for reading! And a belated thank you to all who have served in our Armed Forces.**

 **God Bless France in this time of tragedy.**

 **-Batman**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

The Visitor Center

* * *

The helicopter team continued on through the park towards the Visitor Center. All the while, the mysteries of the land bellowed plagued the experts back on the SS Hammond.

After another ten minutes, the pilot in the lead helicopter called over his back to Vic, saying "I have a visual on the Visitor Center sir."

Vic took two eager steps forward to look through the front window. Indeed he could see the faint outline of a building through the trees below. The building itself was overgrown with vines, while tall grass and weeds engulfed the surrounding area. The surrounding forest seemed to be encroaching on the un-maintained clearing. This spot seemed to have been skipped by the bombings, as the foliage also appeared to be un-touched, one of the few pristine areas that was seen from the air.

He picked up his radio. "Alright, remember the plan. Copter 1 will drop our load and land first. After an initial sweep is done, we will set markers up for Copters 2 and 3 to drop load and land. Understood?"

One by one, the other two helicopter pilots signaled in. "Alright Simmons, let's drop our load." He now looked back to his team, consisting of Wesley, Dick, Jim Kanye, and Bradley Hall.

"Alright guys, you know the drill. Get ready."

The men just nodded, while Wes gave a goofy salute.

Helicopter 1 slowly descended. Vic was relying on the noise and the turbulence created by the blades to spook out any animals below. When the first drafts of wind shook the grass below, Vic noticed a half dozen small, green lizard like creatures dart. They were too small for raptors. He assumed they were Compsognathus, a small dinosaur which tended to behave more like opportunistic jackals than a true predator. Not perceiving them as a threat, he ignored them. They seemed to be afraid of them anyway.

The chopper dropped the jeep gently on the ground. With a click, the tether from the copter released, letting the cable drop on the jeep below. The jeep was loaded with steel containers, all containing the more bulky equipment which would have bee too cumbersome to haul back and forth every day. Now free to land, the pilot landed down in a small clearing on the grassy road. As soon as the they hit the ground, Vic and the others dismounted out of the open sides of the aircraft. They walked low with their high caliber, semi-automatic weapons held high, aiming into the surrounding jungle. They spread out in a ring around the helicopter, slowly spreading out as they walked away. Now fifteen yard out, they stopped, but still continued to scan the area in front of them for movement. The blades on the helicopter continued to rotate at high speeds, ready to leave on a moments notice. Thirty seconds passed.

"Alright" Vic finally said, gun still raised. "Wes, Dick, get those markers set. Jim and Brad stay on point." While Wes and Dick went to set the flares, Vic waved his hand to the pilot, signaling him to shut the engines off.

Wes and Dick each spread out away from the others, while Rob and Brad spread out, constantly moving and turning, watching for anything threatening. Dick found the first spot. He set his flare, followed by Wes about a hundred yards away. One red flare for the jeep, and one green flare for the helicopter itself. Copter 1 landed first, followed by 2. The men jumped out in a similar fashion. They held their guns raised as they spread out, forming a perimeter around the three helicopters. Once the last helicopter's blades finished spinning, it was time for work.

"Alright ladies!" he said aloud. "Team 2 sets up the perimeter fence. Team 3 keep on lookout. Team 1, let's check out the buildings."

* * *

Back on the USS Hammond, Simon, Rob, and Jessie watched the monitors. Along with the cameras set up on the copters, secondary surveillance cameras were set up on trees and makeshift posts to keep tabs on the surrounding area. This allowed the technical team to safely monitor the strike team.

Bored, Jessie went over to the table, where Simon was attending to a business call regarding one of his many assets outside of InGen. While he sat at the wood table, she just stood nearby. She eyed Dr. Skies. She didn't know him, and she didn't want to be strangers. She decided to go talk to the guy

"Hi" she said cheerfully.

Dr. Skies turned back. He looked nerdy she thought, like a Clark Kent type character. He wore those big, edgy glasses, dressed in a neatly ironed polo and pants, and wore top siders. He was thin with black hair and had a short beard.

He turned around, caught of guard. He seemed a little bit nervous, like it was a habit rather than he was hiding something."Oh hi" he greeted, extending his shaky hand to shake hers. "Dr. Skies, Robert Skies."

Jessie smiled uneasily, shaking his hand. "Dr. Jessie Marshall." He nodded, then was quick to turn back to the screens. She waited a little bit for him to say something. He was apparently more interested in the screens than making conversation. She rolled her eyes.

"So, you're a paleontologist?"

"Hmm?" he asked, uninterested. "Oh, yeah. Assistant paleontologist to Pat Reiner at the University of Kansas. Specialty in Mesozoic ecosystems." The man had a British accent she noticed. Must be a transfer student. After that, he was back on the screens.

Jessie stared. Apparently he did not want to converse. Sure, she understood. They were on a project unlike any other. Consulting on an expedition in an island full of dinosaurs, she got it. It was exciting, drawing much of one's attention. But there was nothing going on now. The only thing the screens showed were a bunch of men setting up an electric fence, cameras, and motion sensors, nothing worth noting. Another screen had the initial sweep on replay, but other than that, nothing any of them could learn from.

"Kansas?" she asked. Again, no response. "I study predators."

This time he looked back at her. His eyes widened. "Oh, predators?" he asked. He spoke as if he just realizing she was looking to talk. Either he was really interested in the screen or he's really bad at reading people.

"Yes" she asked, previously on the verge of just walking away. "Wolves, specifically."

"Wolves?" he said, his attention slowly moving off the screen. "That's cool."

 _Cool_? she thought. She had a disdain for the word. It sounded unprofessional and immature to her. "Yeah, _cool_."

"Where do you work, Minnesota?" he guessed.

"Montana" she said. "Near the Canadian border."

"Ah." he said. He stood there, his focus still on her, but he had no words. "Cool."

There's that word again. "So, you were in Patagonia?"

"Yeah. Yeah I examine the scrap fossils."

"Scrap?" How could a fossil be scrap?

"Well, that's what my professor always called them. The smaller plants and animals that are really common in the fossil record, like trilobites or ferns. I categorize them into logs and try to understand the environment of the area in question. Was it a jungle, or a wetland, that sort of thing."

"Ah" she said. So there was a conversation waiting to come out of this guy. "So you study the environment the animal lived in?"

"Yep. That's what I do." He said, shrugging.

Jessie smiled. He was defiantly the book smart type. Great at passing tests and memorizing terms, but had deplorable people skills and lacked thinking outside the box.

"So you know what's going on here?" he asked looking back at the screens, particularly the one replaying the areal footage. "I've asked the technician to replay it."

Jessie now looked at the screen. She shrugged. "Nothing but burned foliage and turned up roots."

"Like a bulldozer?"

Jessie nodded. "Herbivores?"

Robert nodded. He looked at a topographical map of the island posted on the wall adjacent the monitors. "Look at the middle here, where it spreads out to the east." Jessie looked. Much of the area was burned, but it was lacking trees she noticed for the first time. She knew that habitat all to well, as it was prevalent in Montana.

"Grasslands?"

Rob nodded, a hint of a smile on his face, the type she saw when somebody had just figured out a hard problem. "According to Ingen's records, some of the herbivores included Triceratops, Stegasaurs, and a few hadrasaur species."

Jessie nodded. Like many kids interested in the natural sciences, she was obsessed with dinosaurs as a kid. He just described just a few of the large herbivores. For hundreds of years, artists had portrayed many dinosaurs as living in just the jungle type environments, coming from a warm, wet climate. But now they knew better. They came from a variety of habitats, including grasslands.

Grasslands. "They are too big to move through the forests" she said aloud. "They lived on the plains." She saw the scorch marks again on the screen. Most of the burns appeared to be on the plains. "The grasslands are drier than the jungles. They would have burned more easily."

"Depriving the herbivores of their food" said Robert. He now pointed to the map again. "Forcing the large herbivores to search the jungles for food outside their element."

How could Jessie had missed that? She had seen it before with elk. In a wilderness area she studied in Montana, a fire burned the plains, depriving the elk of food. They took to the woods, gnawing down small trees and shrubs.

"The bombs upset the balance" Jessie said in realization.

Rob nodded, the shrugged. "Yeah, well, its a theory. We'll know more when the team scouts the island on foot."

Jessie turned back to Rob. "Nice catch" she said.

* * *

The Visitor Center was in ruins. Though the jungle had yet to catch up to the building itself, weeds and animal debris littered the floor. The main entrance, where Dr. Grant, Ellie Sattler, and Hammond's grandchildren made their narrow escape, was littered with bones. Two specific skeletons didn't belong to the original exhibit, the skeletons of the raptors.

Vic and his men worked their way through the inner workings of the center. They walked down one of the hallways. Decorative arrows lined the walls, pointing to areas such as "Learning Center", Mr. DNA Show", or "Dining Room". Moving past the main, windowed areas, it came time to check out the windowless rooms; the dark underbelly of the Visitor Center.

"Lights on" said Vic. Each of his men flicked on their head lamps, illuminating the way ahead. One by one, they cleared rooms. From the labs to the computer room, the signs of animal tampering was evident. Broken glass, ripped apart vending machines, and bones could be found across the floor. There being no windows for light, no plants could take root.

"This place smells like crap" said Jim Kanye. Jim was a former military man from Kenya. After he was found smuggling illegal animal parts past a check point, he was thrown out. Bordering joining in with mercenaries, Vic gave him a second chance at InGen.

"Well, there is plenty of crap to go around" said Wes, being careful where he stepped. "Say, this isn't raptor dung is it?"

"Too small" said Vic. "Probably those Compy's we saw outside.

"Compy's" asked Dick

"Yeah. Compsig... something. Dr. Wu gave us a list of animals by their nicknames. Easier to read. Compy's are little chicken sized dinosaurs. Scavengers."

"Chicken sized?" asked Wes. "Ha! Why don't we just deep fry them and smother them in barbeque sauce?"

"They also have a toxic bite that will put you to sleep. They like to eat their prey while it's still alive."

Wes and Jim froze. "Oh, this place is all sorts of fun isn't it?" Wes asked rhetorically."

As they moved down one of the corridors leaving the dining room, Vic stopped, just before a set of metal doors. "Alright Dick, let's clear this room." Vic and the others lined up against the wall, while Dick stood directly in front of the door. Vic counted down from three on his fingers. After he reached to "one", Dick leaned back and kicked the door open with force. He immediately raised his gun, taking aim inside. Seeing no hostiles inside, he said "clear!", and Vic lead the way in. The men followed in with Dick tailing. Guns were held high. Their lights were the only thing illuminating the room.

Rows of metal counters ran down the room. Along the perimeter, cabinets, stoves, and ovens could be seen. Everything was made of easy to clean stainless steel, which reflected light back at the men, further illuminating the room.

"Looks like a kitchen" noticed Bradley Hall, a self made gun for hire from Britain.

"You don't suppose there's any food left, do you?" asked Wes.

"This place has been abandoned for over three years" said Dick. "What makes you think..."

Suddenly, there was the sound of a thud; something hitting a metal sheet. Immediately, all guns were pointed towards the source of it.

"What the bloody hell was that?" asked Bradley.

"It came from in there" said Jim, pointing to a door with his gun. The door was metal, with a pin lock on it.

"Looks like a fridge" said Vic.

For a moment, nothing. Then, a very, _very_ slight sound of something sliding against metal. The men remained motionless, their fingers sliding to the triggers on their weapons.

Vic picked up his radio with one hand. "Team 1 to Ground Base, I think we got something. turning on helmet cam." Vic, the only one in the group with this latest technology, flipped on the camera attached to his helmet. The camera had live feed to the camp, which relayed that back to the Hammond. "Stand by Gethro."

"Standing by" said Gethro Banks back at base camp..

"Hall, open the door" said Vic. "Everyone else keep your guns on that door. Wes, you're taking the lead. Don't make me regret bringing you along."

"Aw gee, I think my gun jammed" said Wes with an edge of fear in his voice. "Better send Di...Oh, wait..." Wes said as Dick grabbed his weapon. He pulled back the lever to check the chamber. The gun was functioning perfectly, just as he had guessed. Dick rolled his eyes. He wondered why Wes was here again. He reloaded the weapon with a loud, forceful click and tossed it back to Wes.

"Gee, thanks Dick" Wes said with disappointing sarcasm, his excuse failing miserably.

"Get in front of that door Brawnstone!"

"Alright alright, I'm on it" he said in a nervous, twitchy voice. His eyes were wide and his heart was hammering. A cold sweat emanated from under his helmet. He didn't realize it, but he was scared. He always dealt with safes and security cameras, the most he ever faced being an unsuspecting security guard or German Sheperds. He slowly stepped in front of the door, the one Brad had his hand on. Rob, Dick and Vic stood to his left and right, but he was in front, in front of the door with the God knows what kind of horrid, man eating beast was behind it. He gulped, then looked at Brad. "Ready."

Brad opened the door in a swift motion, then all hell broke loose.

* * *

Back on the SS Hammond, Simon had kept his eyes glued to the screen. The signal from Vic's head cam had to be relayed to the more powerful transmitter back at base, then sent to the Hammond. As soon as Gethro radioed the technician on a possible first encounter, Simon was quick to end his call and call everyone to the screen. The screen showed Vic's point of view as the young Wesley Brawnstone stood before him, gun raised. Tensions in the room were high. Once Brad opened the door, everyone instinctually expected the worst.

When the door flung open, the flash light showed a faint, blurred image of a greyish shape. Vic didn't bring in the infrared lamps, having forgetten them at base in broad daylight, so the image wasn't fully visible. The figure was lit up with gun fire. After that, the image became more blurry as Vic shook his head from side to side. Then there was a loud, high pitched, blood curdling scream.

"Vic!" shouted Simon over the radio. "Vic report! What's going on?!" Jessie covered her mouth. Rob turned pail.

"Victor Hoskins, report!"

Silence. Then there was some indiscernible voices, then a sigh. "Vic here. False alarm."

* * *

The velociraptor came out of the refrigerator without any forwarning. Wes, seeing that dry, shriveled reptilian face and those lifeless eyes, fired at the creature. Behind him, Vic and the others fired as well. The creature came forward on him despite the gunfire, coming down on him. The speed of it coming down surprised Wes out of his mind. Acting purely out of instinct, having not control over his automatic reaction, screamed. It was a high pitched, attention grabbing scream, similar to a damsel in distress reacting to an attacker. The dinosaur, instead of leaping for his guts, fell limply to the floor. Wes screamed again, firing five more rounds into the dinosaur. He jumped back, then shot another round. "Eat lead!"

"Wes! It's dead!"

Wes stopped, Vic's attention catching voice momentarily snapping him back to intuition. He looked at the downed animal. Indeed, it wasn't moving. Realizing it was dead, he took a big sigh in relief.

"Yeah, yeah that's right!" he said tauntingly as Jim knelt down to inspect their kill. "Take that! World's deadliest predator my spine!"

"This animal was already dead" said the crouching Jim.

At that, Wes shut up. "Say what?"

"Look at it. This creature is mummified."

The men pointed their lights at the downed raptor. In all the chaos, no one noticed that it's skin was shriveled and dehydrated. It's bones could be seen through the skin, and its dehydrated eyes were sunken into its sockets. Jim tapped the raptor with his weapon, revealing just how stiff it was.

Vic took out his radio. "Vic here, false alarm" he said, remembering Simon's frantic calling. He heard a sigh of relief.

"What happened?"

"Ah, it was a dead raptor." He shone his lights on the fridge itself. The power long gone, the sealed door acted like a tomb, cutting outside air form getting in. No doubt the power lasted an additional week after Ellie Sattler restored the power, which would have froze the unfortunate animal. It had been clawing at the door until it froze to death, still leaning against the door. When the power did finally die, the lack of air prevented excessive rotting, which preserved the animal in this position upright position. What they heard must have been the corpse settling.

"Looks like it was trapped in the fridge and died. It fell out the door and shots were fired. No harm done, minus a little dignity."

"What?" asked Simon.

"Never mind. We've got a few more rooms to sweep and we'll start bringing in the equipment. I'll give you a full briefing when we get back. Over and out." Vic put the radio back in his vest. He glared at Wes, who stared back uncomfortably.

"Oh what? If it were alive I would have hit it."

Vic didn't say anything at first. Sure, he did fire his weapon, and he actually hit the dead dinosaur, but there was that feminine scream. "Hey, if the bullets didn't kill it, I'm sure that scream would have." Vic then turned away, chuckling. "Come on men, we've got more rooms to clear."

Wes loaded up his weapon, but heard his compatriots laughing behind his shoulder. "Hey" he said to them, "can we not say anything back at camp?"

* * *

Everything was recorded on this expedition for records sake. Anything from a scouting missions to a kill was to be recorded and kept. The recorder was kept in the Base Camp, and the man in charge of that was Lewis Dodger, the tech guy of the crew. Thanks to him, Wes's reaction to a dead dinosaur was immortalized, and the rest of the group were watching it over and over when he finally came back out. The all clear was given to store the weather sensitive equipment in the center. While all this was being done, Wes kept his head low. So much for first impressions.

"OK!" he said after hearing yet another set of laughter. "So I screamed when a dead dinosaur tried to eat me! Big deal! I'd like ot see any of you react differently!"

"Hey Wes!" said Dick, helping a man lift a crate up the main stairs into the front entrance. "I was there too. Did I scream?" he taunted. Another series of laughs came out.

"Crap" Wes muttered. "Hey Rexy! How about putting me out of my misery!" he called out rhetorically.

Then, in the far distance, a faint roar could be heard. Immediately, everyone stopped dead in their tracks, turning to the source of the sound, which must have been miles away.

Wes froze. "Oh great, now the Universe is out to get me."

* * *

 **Well, we did get to see a raptor, right? The raptor trapped in the fridge was always something I wanted to cover in this series, and there you have it!**

 **This chapter really turned out differently than I imagined, particularly with how Rob and Jessie are starting to flesh out.**

 **Be back soon. Please review! Let me know if you love it or hate it.**

 **-Batman**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Tragedy of the Commons

 **Note: The name Lewis Dodger literally came of the top of my head, and literally had no connection to Lewis Dodgson. How I missed that is beyond me (too much coffee, too little coffee... I'm pretty sure it's related to coffee). I am sorry if I left you confused. I will be changing his name since he is not an important character (which means he'll probably get eaten soon).**

* * *

Within hours of setting up base camp, Vic took two of the choppers into the field, along with their pilots, Jim Kayne and Jethro Banks, both having experience in scouting from an aircraft. Vic and Kayne were in one helicopter, circling the island clockwise, while Banks took the other, going the other direction to cover more ground. Their job was simple: Survey the land for any changes in the landscape from the time Jurassic Park fell to present, as well as any possible locations dinosaurs would frequent.

In the video room, Masrani, Jessie and Rob continued to watch the screens, which showed them acres and acres of devastated landscape.

"Do we even have any animals to worry about?" asked Masrani. "So far all we've had are a few compy's and one dead raptor. Maybe they starved by now."

"It's unlikely" said Rob as he walked over to the metal collapsible table and picked up his bottle of water. "I'm sure there are plenty of animals left."

"You seem sure" said Jessie.

He finished drinking his water and turned back to the screens. "Extinction doesn't happen in one instant. Extinction is a slow, agonizing thing for a species. The environment changes slowly, and so extinction, the removal of one species in favor od another. Food sources dwindle, mates become harder to find, predators increase or prey decreases. Whatever the case, the end comes slowly.

"The meteor that killed off the dinosaurs seemed like a swift end."

"Oh, I'm sure the local populations at the point of impact met a swift end, but for thousands of years afterwards, acid rain and perpetual winters plagued the Earth. For thousands of years. It was just a matter of time before the dinosaurs lost out against the elements, leaving the furry mammals to become the dominant life form. It was essentially their death that lead to us." He took another sip of his water. "You can call it an act of God. Wiping out the dinosaurs to make way for us."

Listening in on his earpiece, Vic rolled his eyes. "Excellent history lesson doctor, but I hardly think a higher form of life is going to come out of these ashes..."

"I've got something!" Interrupted Jethro Banks over the intercom.

"What?" asked Masrani.

"Dinosaurs" he said.

In the clearing below his helicopter, there were indeed dinosaurs. They were a mixture of parasaulophus and triceratops, eating away at the edge of a shrinking forest. The chopper slowed down and remained stationary in the air for Banks to get a clear view. He grabbed one of the handheld cameras linked to the network and zoomed in on the animals. The parasaurs were a rusty color, with olive green stripes running horizontally down their backs. The triceratops were more grey in color, with specks of a dark red on their frills and along their backs. They're weren't many animals. Less than a dozen of each species he guessed. The triceratops, using their weight, were leaning back onto their hind legs , throwing their front weight forward, threw their front feet onto the trees, knocking them down to get at the greenery at the top. The more aggressive triceratops then munched away at the leaves. Once they were done, they moved on to the next tree, leaving the parasaurs to eat the tough and hard to swallow twigs that were left over.

Banks watched as a particularly skinny parasur tried to get between some trike's at the greener foliage of a recently felled tree. As it reached for the fresh, tasty leaves, she was aggressively pushed off by one of the trikes. The trike rammed its horns against the pasaraur's hind leg, drawing blood. The parasuar trumpeted in pain and scurried away, now with a heavy limp. It limped away before collapsing just before reaching its herd, overcome with exhaustion brought on by starvation. Now with a serious injury, her chances of survival seemed bleak.

The rest of the animals faired just as badly. Most showed signs of malnourishment, evident in their pale coloring and the ribs showing on their bellies. Behind them, far behind the main herd, were the bodies of those that didn't make it. If Banks zoomed in a little closer, he would see that the movements surrounding the bones were that of compy's, the only animal to truly win out in this scenario.

Back in the video room, Jessie shook her head. "It's chaos down there" she said. "They're starving."

"The triceratops appear to be winning out" said Rob. "Makes sense, they're easily the more aggressive herbivore."

"They're killing each other" said Masrani. They could only watch as the triceratops aggressively hogged the good food away from the parasaurs. "The triceratops are bullying the others."

"Survival of the fittest" said Jessie. "Even though, the triceratops are still loosing out. Look" she pointed to the screen. "They're starving too."

"Well look at them" said Rob. "They're grazers, meant to eat grass, not trees. Look how clumbsy they look trying to knock those trees over."

"And I doubt they're getting the full nutrients off those trees. Tree leaves are tougher than grass, harder to digest."

"So, they're living off the edge?" asked Masrani.

"Literally" said Jessie.

They continued to watch for a few more minutes while Jethro recorded the GPS coordinates before moving on, searching for other such hotspots.

* * *

It was now late in the day. Vic's copter was the last one in the sky. He was tired, like everyone else. It had been a long day, and he was looking forward to a hot dinner and some rest.

He was just about to tell the pilot to return back to base when some movement in a nearby clearing caught his eye. There was a pair of stegosaurs out in the open, digging into the ground in search of edible roots. There was little green in the clearing. He imagined they had found the last bit of edible substance in this area. As before, the two animals were skin and bones, barely surviving.

"Well, looks like that's it" said Vic, not impressed by the sight. "Let's head..."

"Wait! What's that?" asked Kayne, who was standing behind him. Vic looked, but couldn't make out anything besides the two dinosaurs. Then, the two dinosaurs jerked their heads up. They spun around, swinging their spiked tails in agitation.

"I don't see..." said Vic.

"Look!" shouted Kayne. "Near the tree line!"

Vic looked out again, straining his eyes to focus on the scene with greater clarity. He looked along the tree line. He saw movement; small, brown-greyish animals were darting out of the woods.

"Take us in closer!" said Vic to the pilot. The pilot obeyed and turned the copter closer. Approaching the clearing, Vic could now see the smaller animals clearly. They approached the two herbivores cautiously. They spread out, moving with incredible speed. They began circling the stegosaurs, who were both roaring, swinging their tails wildly.

Moving ever closer, Vic could now see the animals clearly.

Raptors. Lots of raptors.

* * *

Back in the video room, only Jessie remained awake. Rob had fallen asleep in his seat while Simon went away for a phone call. Even the tech guy at the computer had fallen asleep sitting up, snoring lightly with his head arched back. The day was ending, and attention was waning. Jessie wasn't even looking at the screen anymore. She was sketching something on a notepad she brought. She had begun drawing a bust of a parasaurlophus. She could never get the head right, but given she had just seen one in real life, she was inspired to give it another shot. She sat their with her legs crossed, using some random technical manual she found as a back board. She had on her reading glasses, being farsighted. She could spot a pronghorn on the plains a thousand yards away, but she was blind to anything closer than two feet.

She was interrupted by Vic's voice over the intercom.

"Anyone there?!" he said with excitement. "I think we've got a kill going down here!"

Jessie shot up. The tech guy was jolted awake, followed more slowly by Rob. Both were weary eyed, not fully awake yet. Jessie looked up to the screen.

"Watcha got?" she asked.

"Two stegos and a shit ton of raptors."

"Raptors?" Jessie asked. A predator biologist, this was right up her alley. She took off her reading glasses and placed them along with her pencil and notepad down on the table. She walked closer to the screen, looking at the four separate frames showing the other feeds. "Where?"

"About two clicks south of the base. Is the feed going through?"

The tech guy, awake and painfully aware that Jessie shot him a terrifying glare, fumbled at he buttons on his computer. Three seconds later, the screen flipped from the four screens to the one on Vic and Kayne's chopper. There, Jessie saw what they were seeing. The two stegosaurs stood parallel each other, facing opposite directions and swinging their tails, as if intimidating something. Like nearly every animal on the island, they were skinny and malnourished. Their signature pot bellies were thin and lean, the ribs showing through the flesh. One, Jessie noticed, looked slightly more healthier than the other, keeping its head up higher and moving more quickly. The other, moving around more slowly, appeared slightly more lethargic. Most would have missed this, but not Jessie; her years of field experience studying prey animals taught her to pick up the subtle details of a sick animal.

The raptors moved too fast to get a clear look at, especially given the quality of the film. Once in a while, one or two would stop, peering over at the stegos. With no grass to cover their movements, they stood out like a sore thumb. Occasionally, they would snap their jaws. Though the roar of the copter's engines drowned out the noise, one would imagine some sort of vocalization similar to that of a bark.

"Rob, are you awake?" Jessie asked, not taking her eyes off the screen.

Rob blinked, still not fully up. "I'm awake I'm awake..." he went and grabbed his glasses and put them on. "What's going..." he saw the battle scene unfolding. "...on... are those velociraptors?"

"Yeah" said Jessie. On instinct, she began breaking down the scene. Still looking for the alpha, she noticed something after counting the animals. "My God, they're over twenty of them."

"Yeah" said Vic. "This is going to be a blood bath."

Jessie shook her head. "That's too many."

"Well, large prey animal" Rob pointed out.

"Not when you compare the raptor's size, weaponry and intelligence. And look at their prey, they're weak."

Rob did a double look. Something was stirring in his head, but he didn't have time to think. After a brief standoff of circling the stegos, the raptors attacked.

Everyone remained silent as the scene unfolded. Two raptors darted one after the other, aiming to go between the two dinosaurs. One of the stegos, the weaker one, swung its tail at them, just missing it. Both raptors jumped back. With the spiky tail still extended out, two more raptors attacked. They leapt up and onto the side of the stego, biting and clawing into its flesh. The stego roared in pain. It shook its body in attempt to shake off its two attackers. It turned around in a half circle, exposing the raptors to the other stego. The other animal, the stronger one, swung its spiked tail, smashing one of the raptors off the animal. The raptor flung through the air, severely wounded. It hit the ground and never got back up. The stronger stego went to swing at the other raptor, but in its distraction with wanting to help its own, fell victim to a raptor attacking it on its left, followed by a second on its right. It panicked, shaking its body, then stomping off. The two stegos were now separated.

Choosing the weaker animal, all the raptors now attacked the first stego, launching themselves onto its body. It swung its tail, but missed. Soon, it was covered in the smaller predators, each one biting and scratching at its prey, quickly mutilating its side. Overwhelmed, the stego collapsed, exhausted by the blood loss, starvation, and weight of its attackers. Though it was still alive, the raptors began feasting, tearing into the still living animal. All the while, the stronger stego struggled to shake off its two attackers, suffering from its own injuries. The weaker animal groaned in agony as it was ripped apart. It was now a free for all as the rest of the raptors piled on. Not one bothered to slash the now exposed neck to finally kill its prey and put it out of its misery. They just ripped the animal to shreds. Blood was everywhere, the red substance staining the ground in puddles and the raptors themselves. Finally, after several minutes of torture, the animal became still. After much blood loss, the animal finally died, out of its misery.

The other stego, finally free of its attackers, could only look on. It moaned, staring on helplessly as the raptors tore into its mate. It stood there for almost a minute, the raptors too preoccupied to notice. Then, after some time, it turned and left, lest it suffered a similar fate.

"Did you see that?" said Vic, speaking with awe. "A perfect killing machine."

Jessie and Rob just looked on while the tech guy turned pale from what he just saw. It was chaotic is what it was. There was no order Jessie thought. Normally, pack hunters practiced precision in their kills. The objective was to make a quick, clean kill, then the animals would take turns feeding, following a pecking order. Here, the animals literally jumped on angry mob style, eating the animal before it even fell. As far as she could tell, their was no hierarchy.

Just then, Simon walked into the room. "So, how's it..." he stopped, staring at the screen. The raptors were still tearing into the bloody carcass, red with blood. He saw two raptors fighting over a piece of meat, struggling for a piece. Despite the abundance of food, the two animals found it necessary to fight over that one piece. One of the animals eventually lunged itself, tackling the other raptor, engaging it in an intense fight. They kicked and bit each other in a ferocious fight, which went unnoticed by the other raptors. Finally, the other backed down, darting away covered in deep cuts. The victor stood over its prize, barking in victory.

Jessie noticed that many of the animals had similar scars. Some were even missing limbs or bits of their tails. It was disconcerting, considering these were supposed to be intelligent animals.

Simon looked pail, seeing all that blood and gore on the screen.

"Alright guys" said Vic, un-phased by the gore. "Let's go home."

* * *

The helicopters found little else on the island. Only the triceratops, and parasaurlophus, and small groups of stegosaurs appear to have survived this long. They found only remnant herds, small handfuls of animals eating up whatever greenery was left. Despite hearing its roar, the crew could find no trace of the Tyrannosaur. Some of the smaller animals, such as dilophosaurs and smaller herbivores, were harder to locate in the thick forests that remained.

They had all they needed to begin the eradication, though, and with it getting dark soon, they had to return the crew to the boat. Even with the electric fence protecting the gear, it was much too dangerous to let anyone stay the night. Once the entire crew made it back to the boat, the men began preparing their weapons for the next day, when the full force of the military team would begin sweeping the island, killing anything and everything on site.

Right now, dinner was being served in the on-board cafeteria. The dinner bell rang over 45 minutes ago, so most of the men had already eaten and left. Preferring to eat away from the crowd, Jessie just came to the cafeteria. She took her tray of food and walked over to her old friend.

"Hey Simon. This seat taken?" she asked Masrani. He was looking at some figures sent to him by his secretary. Despite being the CEO and owner of his own multi million company, micromanagement continued to be a habit with him. He nodded and scooted over, letting her sit next to him.

She noticed that he had hardly touched his dinner. "Not hungry?"

"What?" he asked. "Oh, no, I'm starving" he said as he took another fork full of rice and beans. "Just eating while I work. Still have other companies to run other than this place you know."

"Still busy as ever I see" Jessie said as she took a bite of her hamburger. It wasn't bad food she decided, considering this was formally a filth ridden cargo ship. Still, even with the steel walls painted white and the tables made of a sterile plastic, she could still sense the old, gloomy ship this must have been.

"The main source of corporate corruption is when CEO's grow lazy and let other people do their work" he said "This way, I keep on top of everything."

Jessie continued eating her hamburger as he spoke, speaking between bites. "But don't you own like, three companies or something?" she said after swallowing.

"Yes, as well as holdings in many other smaller companies, military included." He puts his papers down, deciding he shouldn't make important decisions and talk at the same time. He began eating his food. "Sometimes I forget what I own."

Jessie laughs. "Wow. I would not want to be in your shoes then."

Simon laughs as well. "Believe me, I wish I had a job like yours sometimes. Just worry about animals and plants. Anything but people." He took another bite of his rice. "I guess that's why I'm here; an excuse to get away from the hustle and bustle of corporate ongoings."

"It's not all sunshine" she said. "Even if you work with animals, you eventually have to deal with people, and let me tell you, people in the biology department can be just as snarky and uptight as any businessman I have ever seen. The only difference is they know how to use a gun."

Simon turned and faced her, curiosity written on his face. "Oh yeah" Jessie continued. "Ranchers, outfitters, even so called "enviromentalists" threaten you with a gun. I remember this one mountain man shot a round over my head, and I wanted was to know if he had any predator problems!"

Simon laughed. "OK... I take that back. I'll stick to corporations, you stick to gun toting mountain men!"

They oth laughed now. They took a few more bites of their food before continuing. "So" said Simon. "What's your opinion of the state of the island?"

"Well, it's far from paradise" she said. "You saw what was going on. It's almost like the tragedy of the commons out there."

"The what?" asked Masrani.

"Oh, yeah its an ecological theory..." She went to go back to eating, but she saw that Simon was still looking at her. She recognized that face, as she had seen it often. Unlike many of the people she had met, Simon actually relishes hearing the science behind the process.

"So, how do I explain this... Way back in the day, I forget the date, the farmers didn't have a lot of land to graze their cows on. So they took them daily to this place called 'the commons', like a park almost. The problem was, _everyone_ in the town took their cows to eat at this one small plot of land. Cows as you know eat a lot of grass. With so many cows relying on this one small plot of grass, the grass can't grow back fast enough and the pasture is decimated, turned into a mud pit."

Masrani nodded. "So the land can't support that number of animals."

Jessie gently slapped the table. "Exactly!"

"So there are too many plant eating dinosaurs on the island. After the bombs went off and the grasslands were decimated, the land couldn't support the herbivores..."

"And the whole ecosystem goes into chaos. One animal affecting the others. Everything is connected in nature. You screw up one thing, and that starts a chain event. In this case, its..."

"The Tragedy of he Commons" finished Masrani.

"Yeah. I mean it doesn't fit the theory exactly, but the principle is there. Too many animals with a limited food source."

"Yeah, I get it." he said.

"Still, doesn't explain what we saw with the raptors today."

"What do you mean?"

Jessies put her almost finished burger down momentarily. "Well, for one, that pack had almost thirty animals in it. That's huge."

"Wouldn't that be because of the size of their prey? More raptors can take bigger animals?"

"Yes, but to a point. Packs in nature rarely exceed 15 animals. It's just too many animals for any sort of clear hierarchy to form. Too many members to maintain order for any alpha and too many mouths to feed for a territory. You saw those animals, they were scared up from fighting each other."

Simon shrugged. "Nature is out of balance I guess?"

Jessie shrugged. "I mean I guess. Of course, what do I know about raptors? They can be even more complicated than wolves. Maybe the shrinking prey population is forcing them to combine their efforts... no, that would favor smaller packs. I obviously need to look into that more..."

Simon laughed. Jessie gave him a curious stare. "Nature is so, connected" he explained. "One thing affecting the other, on a level that far exceeds our understanding."

Jessie smiled. "It's a very complex field. I mean I could go on and on, but then we'd spend hours here."

"Oh, I can listen to you all night long" he said.

He froze. Jessie looked at him, raising an eyebrow. He stuttered, quick to correct his statement. "I mean, you know, science stuff. Nature. Stuff like that. I like to hear how things work..."

"I get it" she said. She tried to remain emotionless on the outside, but she was forced to turn to hide a blush. So many past memories flashed in her head, memories of her and Simon. "Yeah... um, I should be getting to bed. We've got a big day tomorrow."

Simon nodded. He let her leave, mentally kicking himself for not checking his words before speaking. He went back to his paperwork with conflicting thoughts. It wasn't much left. Just a few more pages and he would turn in too.

* * *

Tomorrow came, sooner than expected. Today marked the beginning of the active eradication of the island of any dinosaurs. Even with the population already in trouble, this wouldn't be an easy task. They had to literally check every nook and cranny. With some of the jungles still intact, a dinosaur could hide anywhere.

The helicopters, modified "Heuy's", this time filled to their limit with the main force, arrived at the deserted visitor's center at dawn. In all, over 35 men would be in the team, systematically sweeping this island. They were dressed in full military attire. Their longs sleeve shirts and pants had a green camouflage pattern, serving to hide them both from prey and predator. Their combat vests were likewise camouflage, holding numerous rounds of ammunition, large caliber handguns, extra radios, tasers, first aid kits, sealed food packs, and anything other personal items that Vic approved. Vic carried with him a large, flashy revolver strapped to his hip. Jehtro Banks, sitting on the bench smoking a cigar, took notice.

"Isn't that a little small for what we're after, sir?" he asked, putting out his cigar.

Vic looked down and took out his weapon. He took it out of its holster, cradling it in his hands. "Wedding present, from my wife" he said. "Tell her I carry it with me everywhere. Keeps her with me I tell her. Honestly, I just like the way it looks."

Banks just nods. "Ever use it?"

Vic puts it back in its holster. He shrugs, then smiles. "Once or twice." Banks had to decide for himself if he was joking or not.

In the other chopper, Wes came ready to go. His personal weapon was not as obvious or menacing as Vic's, but it was turning heads.

"Is that a bow staff?" asked Dick Jones, who was sitting next to him.

Wes turned to him. He had the weapon strapped to his back. It was shorter than most staffs of its kind, but it looked high tech. The main shaft appeared to be a dark maroon fiberglass, with a ticker section along the middle. Just past both sides of the center were two, half circle structures, the same color as the staff. Their purpose was anyone's guess. At the ends were two steel tubes. All in all, it was a curious design.

Wes said "If by bow staff you mean my secret weapon? A tool of supurb craftsmanship and awesomeness, constructed in Japan by master craftsman Akio Kimura, the "Q" of the underground community of cat burglars like myself, the very staff he gave me upon graduation and have used on every solo mission to this date until the fateful day I was finally captured and forced into this highly questionable "honest lifestyle" you find me in currently? Then yes, yes it is a bow staff.

Dick had trouble keeping up with that brief story. He simply nodded then looked back ahead. He then smirked. "What, you think you're going to smack that raptor to death?" he asked jokingly.

Wes took a deep sigh, knowing he was referring to his little mess up yesterday. "You know what, I was going to tell you why this weapon would blow your mind, but just for that, I'm not telling you!"

"Ooh, I'm so disappointed" said Dick sarcastically. Wes just looked on, putting on his headphone for the rest of the trip.

Half an hour later, the Heuy's landed in front of the Visitor Center, where all the equipment, ammunition, jeeps and weaponry were assorted in crates inside the center, surrounded with electric fencing.

Vic began barking out orders. Men jumped into the three jeeps, an M2 machine gun mounted on each one, along with rocket launchers stored in the trunk. The jeeps drove up in various places around the compound, each facing a different direction. One went down the road facing West, while another went up the road facing East. The other faced the planes facing the South. The rest of the men, who would follow on foot, lined up behind each jeep, armed with machine guns.

"Alright boys!" said Vic, jumping up into the first Jeep. "You have your GPS locators on?" He was answered with a series of 'yes sir's. "Then you know where to go. Remember, no prisoners, and don't try to be a hero!" He then sat down. He pointed ahead.

With that, the three jeeps moves out away from each other, a troop of a 10 men tailing each. Banks led the second jeep, while Kayne led the third jeep.

Seeing the island from the air was one thing. Being on the ground was another thing entirely.

* * *

 **I apologize for the delay. Decided to get a jump on my original stories, then work piled up. Life happens. Sorry**

 **The Tragedy of the Commons is a personal throwback for me (and all you biology majors in the audience) back to basic ecology. It is in fact a real theory, one that is used to explain the perils of unchecked use of international natural goods, like fish stocks and the atmosphere. Too many users of one resource will lead to the ultimate destruction of that resource. Normally used to describe human users of a resource, I thought I should throw this in here, since these are human created animals after all.**

 **So, like the raptor scene? In the second book, they were portrayed as violent, disordered groups, killing each other even for little squabbles. It was explained their that, since they had no older raptors to teach them (being raised by humans) they had no social structure, and thus ran around like mad dogs. Not following that in great detail, but defiantly using that idea as a springboard of sorts.**

 **Alright then, see you all later. Please review!**

 **-Batman**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

The Cleansing Begins

* * *

In all, three units of heavily armed men went into the jungles, each led by a jeep moving on at a walking pace. Hoskin's unit went directly South, while Jethro Banks and Jim Kayne went East and West respectively. The two latter units would go on straight until they reached the mountainous terrain, then go South. Above, Each of the three helicopters would follow a group, both to give the team a bird's eye view of the situation and to provide backup and emergency evacuation if needed. Honestly, Vic would have preferred more men for more teams; a more tight line to keep anything from escaping. But working off volunteers, this was the best he could get. Still, he felt he had just enough to get the job done.

It had been a few hours, and all three units had yet to make contact with any animals. Birds sounded off their chorus of various calls in the trees, and a few monkeys and other furry creatures dart about behind the vegetation, but nothing reptilian. As the day dragged on, the temperature rose, bringing humidity with it. No one complained, but many were now wishing they had brought lighter shirts and maybe a hat and a sweat rag.

Wes had found himself assigned to Jethro's unit, along with the less than thrilled Dick. Wes, bored with lack of action, began explaining in _excruciating_ detail the many scenarios he had found himself in, many of which had disastrous outcomes.

"...So then the prosecutor brought up my tax history of all things! I mean first I was on trial for breaking and entering, burglary, and impersonating a nurse, now I was being tried for tax evasion? I mean, come on! It's like there go to when they can't pin anything on you. And for the record, I actually do pay my taxes on time, so that quack had nothing anyway..." Wes blabbered on. All the while, Dick held his gun close with his finger on the safety, ready to claim accidental discharge of weapon.

Then, the jeep's radio crackled on. "Hello, unit 2 this is chopper 2, over" said the copilot over the radio. Immediately, Jethro picked up the receiver and answered.

"This is unit 2. Whatcha got Harvey?" said Jethro nonchalantly as the jeep bounced about on the uneven jungle floor.

"We've got some dinos below. Little brown ones."

Jethro immediately held his fist up, signaling his men to stop. The jeep stopped with a sudden jerk, but that didn't phase the seasoned soldier. "Can you identify them?"

"Not yet. We're trying to get in close, but they don't look like the raptors we saw last night. They're a little smaller."

Meanwhile, Vic Hoskins listened in, as did the rest of the team, since they were all on the same channel. "How many Harv?" Vic asked.

"Uh... a few dozen, no more than 30 for sure. 25 maybe?" said the unsure Harvey.

"Give me the layout" said Vic.

"OK... they're about a click and a half south of unit 2..." he paused on occasion to translate what he was seeing into words. "They're in what looks like a wide path, about a hundred yards wide between two thin stretches of jungle."

"Do you guys on the boat have any feed yet?"

There was a pause, then Rob's voice came on. "Nothing but static. Something's wrong with the feed." Back on the Hammond, the technicians worked rapidly as they checked wires and pressed buttons to figure out what was wrong with the signal. Jessie and Rob had been stuck inside for two hours now and have just got some news back from the field, and they couldn't see what was happening.

"I thought this was state of the art technology?" asked Jessie to the technicians with a less than patient voice.

"It is" one of them stated as he worked. "But this is its first field run. We're talking live, high definition feed on a private network."

Jessie just shook her head, then walked away. "This is why I wanted to be on that helicopter in the first place" she mumbled.

"Yeah, no thanks" said Rob.

Jessie looked at him. "Afraid of heights?"

"Heights, guns, dinosaurs. I've seen their anatomy. I know what they're capable of."

"Well that didn't stop Hoskins and all them from going."

"All those guys have training and experience" he said. "I'm just a nerd."

Jess shook her head. She didn't want to bring it up, but she was fairly comfortable with the guns and the dangerous animals. Granted these were not the typical animals she was used to. Still, she was a hands on person. She felt like a librarian here; only needed to give the information and recite facts already know. Being stuck here, watching the island through monitors was driving her mad.

Then, after a moment of a flickering image, the feed finally came through. "There we go!" said the technician. On the screen, the areal image of the animals could be seen. With the aid of a telephoto lens, Rob almost immediately identified the animals.

"Hypsilophodons!" said Rob.

"Say again?" asked Vic over the intercom. "Hypolon...what?"

"Hypsilophodons" corrected Rob, speaking more slowly. "Small herbivores, early Cretaceous. Um... similar to deer or sheep today."

"Ah, so docile?" asked Vic.

"Yes."

"OK, should make this easier then. Well, you have the layout before you, any ideas?" he asked no one in general.

Jessie looked at the screen. The camera zoomed out just enough to give them a layout of the land surrounding the animals. The clearing formed an irregular strip from East to West, with no clear side trails present. She assumed that it must have been made from that herd of triceratops knocking down trees. A thought occurred to her. her hunting instinct kicking in, she saw an obvious strategy before her. It was considered unethical by any true sportsman, but this wasn't really that kind of a hunt.

"You can funnel them" she said.

"Say that again, I got static" said Vic.

"You funnel them" she said, stepping forward to the screen. "Make a firing line along the trail, from left to right, or whatever, and spook them at one end. When spooked, animals always follow the path of least resistance. They're herd animals, right?" she asked Rob.

"Correct" he answered.

"So then they're more inclined to stay with the herd than run off individually. The best way they can do that is to run down the trail in the open."

Vic took a second to answer, trying to visualize her idea on the map. "OK, OK so we set up a firing line and catch these hyp... hypo... Damn it, we need a nick name for these guys."

"Hippies?" suggested his driver.

"Ha ha, hippies" said another voice over the intercom, the voice of the ease dropping Wesley Brawnstone. "There runs the peace train..."he said with a tune in his voice.

"Who is this?" asked Jessie.

"WES! GET OUT OF THE DAMN JEEP!" snapped Jehtro over the radio, causing the microphone to hiss a loud, brief tone over the com.

"Aw come on!" said Wes as he was literally pushed off the jeep. "Don't hate on the sixties!" How Jethro or the two men accompanying him didn't notice him sneaking up behind them was beyond them.

"Uh, who was that?" asked Jessie.

"An experiment gone horribly wrong" deadpanned Vic. "Just forget it. As I was saying, I think I see what you're saying. Let's converge on unit 2's current position."

It was another half hour before the other two units found their ways to Jethro's unit. Vic immediately jumped out of his vehicle, followed by Kayne and Jethro. They met at Kayne 's Jeep, using the hood as a table foe Vic to spread out his map of Isla Nublar. There, he explained his plan in full detail. After conferring the plan with the rest of the men, the three teams assembled to their positions.

* * *

The hypsilophodons, or hippies, were feeding on the ravaged grasslands, chewing on the roots to obtain what little nutrients they could get. The herd was on the brink of starvation, but due to their small size and the ability to climb the trees, they have favored better than most of the herbivores. Still, they struggled to find food. In their desperation, they failed to hear the occasional twig snap in the nearby woods as several dozen men prepared to ambush them.

Then, with a loud roar, they all darted up as a jeep roared to life. It grew louder and louder, but they couldn't pinpoint its origin. The small dinosaurs perked their heads about in all directions, looking for the source. Then, one of the jeeps crashed through the brush and into the clearing. On the back, a man opened fire with the mounted machine gun, hitting several hippies already. Just as the hippies scattered, the rest of the half dozen men entered the clearing, opening fire, forcing the dinosaurs to flee down the West side of the narrow clearing. With over a dozen animals already down, the dinosaurs fled with rapid speed, leaping into the air like deer fleeing a pack of hounds. Moving with three times the speed of an average man, the animals were soon a many yards away. When they thought they had evaded their attackers, however, another barrage of bullets hit them, this time coming from the woods to the North, where the rest of the men stood in a line a quarter mile down. They were arranged at a man to every fifteen feet, making a long firing squad of sorts.

Then, from above, the helicopters came, moving from West to East, laying more fire on them. The dinosaurs were now numbering in the few dozen, scattered and hopelessly confused. In their malnourished state, they were soon out of breath and light headed, leaving them too mentally incapacitated to make sound decisions. Not that this mattered, there being no escape possible. It only made the job easier. In less than five minutes, over 50 hypsilophodons were dead, the field stained in their blood. All the while, the alarm calls of the frightened dinosaurs were drowned out by the cries of wounded animals. Eventually, as the mobile animals were struck down, the men came running out of the woods to finish off the wounded.

Back at the S.S. Hammond, Jessie and the others watched as the little dinosaurs were gunned down. Jessie looked away slowly, careful not to show a reaction to her comrades. She was used to carnage, mostly the small scale kind of a single kill. Heck, she even witnessed the aftermath of a bear attack on a whole herd of penned in sheep. But she knew that this was not a natural predator-prey relationship going on here. This was a unified effort to annihilate these animals; animals that should never had been there in the first place. And it was all her idea.

* * *

The rest of the day went by with no other contacts, the sound of gunfire spooking off everything else in the area. The helicopters returned that evening with the victorious men. They stepped of the vehicles with cheers, ready for some beer. Vic oversaw the movement of three large specimen bags from the helicopter, carrying the bodies of the hypsilophodons that were brought for research. One was to be autopsied by Ron and Jess, while the others were to be put on ice for Wu to look at personally back at the mainland.

In all the merrymaking, no one saw Wes come off last, carrying a large duffle bag. He was still dressed in his military attire, carrying with him his mysterious bo-staff strapped behind his back, which he did not get a chance to show off today. When the coast was clear, and all the men had vanished below decks, he snuck out, tiptoeing from cover to cover to avoid detection. The contents of his bag shifted from side to side as he moved about, making his normally stealthy movements more clumsy than usual. He made his way downstairs, taking the most obscure route to the kitchens, where his accomplice was waiting for him.

Meanwhile, down below in the dining room, Vic raised his beer glass in toast. "To a successful hunt gentlemen!" He received a resounding response in the form of 'yeahs' and 'here here's'. A while after dinner and the cafeteria was cleared, Wes snuck his duffle bag back into the kitchen, where a friend of his was waiting.

Meanwhile, in what was called the 'Records Room', Jessie stayed up late working on the map. On the wall was placed a large topographic map of Isla Nublar with an acrylic overlay, allowing the researchers to make notes and markings in marker. There were already a few scribbles all on the map, marking the sighting of species and abreviations for habitat quality. So far the map showed nearly 40% of the island was burned, covering about 50% of the vegetated areas. Of that remaining 50%, over 90% was now stripped and torn up by starving herbivores. She looked at the newly drawn section, marking the destruction of the Hypsilophodons. In all they counted 43 animals, most of which showed signs of only minimal malnourishment. Being smaller animals, they had access to more resources, smaller plants and berried which were often overlooked by the larger animals. Even if they situation was not as dire, the fact that they showed some ailments at all only added to the already undeniable evidence that the island would starve itself out in the near future.

Despite her uneasiness of killing off the herd, the scientist in her knew that that was better than starvation. She had seen it first hand in Yellowstone during a bad winter, when a small band of elk, unable to feed in the thick snow, slowly withered away as their skin stretched around their ribs. Spring still months away, they were finished off by the wolves; the only ones who benefit from winter starving.

She thought about it some more, mostly just reminiscing other cases of starvation and herbivore damage to the landscape before returning to bed. She walked up to her quarters (high up on deck, far away from the hoard of men downstairs. She loved Simon to death, but did she have to be the _only_ woman on board?). On her way up though, she thought she heard the sound of laughter down the hall from the stairs. it was on the level of the cafeteria. Curious, she walked down the corridor. She heard more laughter, followed by talking and cheering. After some contemplating, she wondered if it could be a late night poker game going on (and more importantly, why wasn't she invited!). Following the sounds, she worked her way on until she came to the kitchen doors. There was no mistake that whoever was talking and apparently having a good time was behind those doors. Gently and cautiously she opened the door.

Inside the kitchen, amongst the various steel tables and cooking utensils was a folding table set up, and there were a small group of three men. They had a deck of cards on the table, a few beers, and a whole tray of hamburger patties, which they were feasting on. They froze upon seeing her, no longer moving or talking. They appeared she thought like deer caught in the headlights. Among these individuals was Wesley Brawnstone.

"Um, hi?" she said in the form of a question. She couldn't recognize any of them, save for the cook.

Wes gulped. "You're a girl!"

Jessie tilted her head back in surprise at the remark. "Um, yeah."

Wesley then shot his head over to the cook and old friend, Joaquin. "I didn't know we had a girl on board!"

"She's been here the whole time man!" he said back. "Like, since day one."

"Really?" said Wes in disbelief. "Isn't that like bad luck or something?"

"I think the rules changed since olden times."

"Ah."

Meanwhile the other man at the table, a maintenance man named Jordan, whispered in a harsh tone "Dude, she's onto us!"

Wes just calmly waved him off. "Easy" he whispered. "She doesn't suspect a thing."

"I can hear you" she said aloud.

Wes shook his head to Jordan. "She's bluffing. No way she can hear us."

"I'm not bluffing" she almost laughed, if it weren't all so odd.

Wes bit his lips. "OK, maybe she can hear us... Well, hello there, young attractive woman" he said to her.

"Um, thanks?" she said nervously. She took a bashful step forward. "So, _is_ there something I shouldn't be on to?"

"I _told_ you!" whispered Jordan back to Wes.

"Dude, would you stop freaking out!" whispered Wes annoyingly. "You're the one drawing attention to ourselves!"

"I can still hear you" Jessie pointed out.

Wes sighed. "Right" he said aloud. "OK, you got us. We're gambling on board. Oh no" he said, making no effort to at least sound convincing. "I beg upon you that you don't rat us out."

Jessie just smiled. "No worries. Just as long as you let me in on the game."

"No! Send her away!" whispered Jordan to Wes.

"Oh for the love of... SHE CAN HEAR YOU!" Wes shouted at Jordan. "And besides, that would be rude. Of course you can play with us!" he said to Jessie. "Please, pull up a seat."

"Awesome!" she said. She then sat down while Joaquin dealed her in. "What's the game?"

"Gin Rummy" said Joaquin.

Jessie frowned. "Hmm, can't play that."

"Oh no worries. We'll hold off all bets for today. Tonight will be a practice round. Just be prepared tomorrow."

She shrugged. "Sounds fair."

"I'm Wes by the way, Wesley Brawnstone. I'm sure you know the cook Joaquin, and this is Jordan Matlock, our humble maintenance guy."

"Nit to meat you all. I'm Jessica Marshall, but I insist you call me Jessie." She then picked up here card, but not before eyeing the freshly made hamburgers in front of her. "Hey, can I have a burger?"

The three men then went rigid. They all looked to each other, trading nervous stares. Finally, it was Wes who said "Well, here's the thing. This is technically Joaquin's family secret recipe, and due to strict family customs, only those close friends and family can feast upon this here meat."

Joaquin gave him a funny look. "What?" Wes responded with a swift kick under the table to his knee, all the while keeping a toothy grin about him. "Gah!... I mean, yes, of course! Old family tradition. Mi Mamma would be very displeased if I just, eh, throw this family secret around" he said nervously.

Jessie arched a eyebrow. She had seen men act funny before, and there was _always_ an act to hide something. She thought about it though, and realized that whatever it was, it couldn't be serious. After all, it was only... _hamburgers? "_ Well, do you at least have beer?"

"Well, it's no secret recipe, but if you like some Heineken..."

"Sounds great!" she said. She then picked up her cards as Joaquin finished setting up the game. For a while now, she kept telling herself that she knew Wesley's voice from somewhere. It was sitting in the back of her mind until she finally placed it. "Oh wait, I know you. I heard your voice on the radio today."

"Ah ha!" said Wes aloud. "See! the ladies _do_ dig my incredible voice!"

"You're the one who also found the raptor in the fridge?"

Wes sighed agitatingly, then frowned.

* * *

 **A shorter chapter than I would like, but given that I've been keeping you guys waiting for several months now I figured I owed you something. Hope you enjoy!**

 **-Batman**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

The Autopsy

* * *

It was a week now into the expedition. In all, the team managed to kill 31 more hypsilophodons, 16 Parasaurolophus, the one suspected remaining stegosaur, and a total of 243 compsognathus (these were so common that the men began making bets on who could kill the most). They were on there second sweep of the island, with more and more dinosaurs 'coming out of the woodwork' as Vic put it. Though they were thinning the herd, they suspected at least 70% of the population still remained, despite the already dwindling numbers. They still had 3 weeks to go, but after the first week Vic knew that the animals would grow smarter and start hiding more, so it was crucial to get most of the work done by then.

There was that, and then there was the one thing that was on everyone's mind: Where were the carnivores?

They knew they were there. They had seen the raptor pack and heard the T-rex, so they knew they were still there. The dilophosaurs had yet to show, so many assumed their demise. But even after using the dead herbivores for bait they came up empty handed. Things were going slow indeed in the extermination process indeed.

On their 8th day, Vic's unit had a group of three triceratops, or 'trikes' in there sights. They were in a partial clearing at the edge of a small stretch of still standing woods, gnawing at some saplings they were lucky enough to find. Using stealth, they crept up on them, using the woods as cover. Inexperienced in the art of hunting, the men made just enough noise to spook a deer. Luckily, the animals were so preoccupied with feeding they failed to listen for approaching danger. Once the herd was surrounded, they raised their rifles and took aim. A tense minute passed before Vic gave the signal with a single shot from his revolver.

All around, the men opened fire, the sounds of dozens of rifles blasting off shattering the tranquility of the forest. The gigantic animals were shocked to say the least, nearly goring each other as they jerked their heads up in alarm. The bellowed, the all at once swung their heads around franticly, shaking them left and right. The men aimed for the bodies, but as the animals kept turning around, most of the bullets ended up hitting the thick skull and frill covering their necks.

"Watch the damn skulls!" warned Vic. They had already learned how the bullet would deflect off those boney frills, ricocheting back at the shooters. After a few close calls and minor flesh wounds, the men were now extra careful to avoid the skulls entirely. This resulted in gaps in the firing squad as the animals pointed their heads at them.

With plenty of open land to run off to, the dinosaurs took off into the open. Aside from the minor damaged to their face and frills, they received numerous bullet wounds all along their hides. But Vic learned over the past week how resilient these animals were, and that those wounds would heal soon. In fact, just before the attack, he noticed the healed wounds from a previous hunt on at least two of the animals.

But then, out of luck, one of the animals, the skinniest one, tripped over some pot hole and crashed into the ground, sending a cloud of dust into the air. It bellowed out a loud, pained call.

"Bring it down!" screamed Vic, seeing an opportunity. He pointed his revolver at the downer animal and opened fire. "Damn it gun it down!"

The men took off after it with raised guns. It only made about 50 yards before crashing, and it wasn't long before the bullets came blasting out again. "Bring the jeep around! Where's the chopper?!"

The jeep was already on its way out of the trees, and the chopper's motors could be heard in the near distance. Vic nearly jumped onto the jeep. The man at the machine gun opened fire on the downed but still kicking dinosaur. Eventually, after what seemed like hundreds of bullets, the dinosaur moaned one last time, then went limp. It was dead by the time the helicopter arrived. This one down, Vic looked out over the clearing, seeing that the two other triceratops had already ran out of range and into another stretch of wood. "Damn it!" he cursed out loud.

* * *

At the end of that day, there was a meeting in the observation room. All the monitors were off, and Vic had the floor. Only Vic, Simon, Rob, Jessie, Jethro and Jim were present.

"We're way behind schedule" said Vic. "We've ambushed over a dozen of those things and we only have one kill to show for it, and we got lucky on that. If we're going to get the job done by deadline than we need to find a way around those thick skulls.

"We already have the heaviest machine guns available" said Simon. "What more do you want?"

"We need RPGs, rocket launchers..."

"We already have more than both Costa Rica and the U.S. feel comfortable letting us have, and what we do have we need to save for emergencies."

Vic fumed, pacing the room. "Well then you better be prepared to shell out a lot more money on this operation, because we just can't do the job in this time scale."

"The board is already on my back as it is" said Simon. "The more delays we encounter will only unnerve them."

"Ah politics" said Vic in a sour tone.

"Unfortunately, that's how the world works. We're just going to have and find some way to do the job with the resources we have."

"Well that's not going to happen, not unless some miracle happens." Vic then turned and placed his hands on the table, sighing heavily.

"What if we can find the exact location of their vital organs?" asked Robert out of the blue. At that, Vic leaned up and turned, surprised by the normally reserved paleontologist. He and Jessie, who have little input on military affairs, had been quiet up till now. But he had an idea, and he felt it was worth bringing up.

"We already looked at the bones. There wasn't much help there."

"Bones are just one piece of the puzzle. What about muscle, or cartilage, or bones too small to have fossilized. You must know how much even muscle tissue can deflect a bullet?"

"So what, you want an autopsy? We can't move the bigger ones back here, remember?" said Vic.

"What about just the head?" asked Rob.

"The head is a tank" said Vic. "We got one in the eye and all it ended up with is a blind spot."

"Well at least it's something for us to look at" said Rob. "Fossils are one thing, but maybe not all the bone is that hard."

"No he's right" said Jessie.

Rob turned around. "Come again?"

"Even if we find a vital shot through the skull, the head is still an erratic target to hit. You can't guarantee a clean hit unless you get lucky. Body shots are a bigger targets and a safer bet at a fatal wound."

"OK, let me say this again, we can't transport the big animals back here for autopsy" said Vic.

"Well, then take us to the animal" said Jess.

At that, Simon's eyes went wide in surprise and alarm.

"What?" Vic asked in disbelief.

"Take us to the animal. I have experience in autopsies, and Rob knows dinosaur physiology."

"Jess, what are you doing? Why are you bringing me into this?" whispered Rob to Jessie.

Vic laughed. "Are you kidding? You two, out there on the most dangerous place in the world?"

"Not to mention you don't have the experience or the clearance to go out there" added Simon insistingly.

"I have" said Jessie. "I've been amongst wolves and bears in the wild."

"Hey sweetheart" said Jethro, walking up away from his place on the wall. He was speaking down to her. "I've seen these dinosaurs in action. I've been to the other island, not this stock of skin and bones I'm talking the _real_ Jurassic Park. Just one of those raptors could tear a bear apart, and don't even get me started on what Momma Rex did to our camp."

"Well it's more experience than any of you guys have had with animals" she added. "I know how predators think, how they hunt. And I've spent weeks alone in the Montana wilderness tracking wolves. I can take care of myself."

Everyone began shaking their heads. All that was, except for Vic, who just eyed her with curiosity. "Maybe this can work" he said, nodding.

"Are you insane?" asked Simon. "This was not part of the plan."

"Hey, the brunette has a point. Besides, we couldn't find a predator to save our skins. The odds of spooking up one now would be a stroke of luck, and we need to start putting some of those trikes in the ground. Besides, didn't Henry want as much data as we can get?"

"Unless it can't be done safely."

"Well I think we can do this safely. I'm for this." He then turned to look at Jethro and Jim. "Well, what do you guys think?"

Jim looked at Vic for a moment, briefly contemplating his position. finally, he nodded. "Yeah alright. If we just copter them in over a body then what's the problem? The sooner the better, now that we have a triceratops just sitting in the open, assuming something hasn't eaten it yet."

Jethro just shook his head. Based on his scowl he looked more against than for, but he chose for whatever reason to keep his opinion to himself.

Simon was still hesitant on this new plan. He didn't like the idea of sending two people in who were not trained for conflict. But most of all, he knew one of these people, and they were close. He considered Jessie to be a good friend, one of his most dear. But right now, he knew his argument against it was mute, and he wasn't about to put personal feelings into the mix. In the end, when he asked himself what would Hammond do, he knew that he above anyone else would never hold anyone back. "Fine, but they're in and out. No extended stays." He could see the faint smile on her face at the response.

"Then it's settled" said Vic. "Tomorrow we take the two nerds to the field. Fun day!"

The rest nodded in agreement, and they began to disperse to make preparations for tomorrow. Jessie looked to Rob with a pleased expression. She then frowned when she saw that his face had gone white. "Rob?"

He blinked, then looked at her. "What just happened?"

"Um, we're going to the island. Why, is something wrong?"

"Oh, nothing is wrong. I just have reservations about going on an island full of the most dangerous animals the earth has ever seen."

"Oh come on Rob!" she said playfully. "I thought you're a dinosaur expert."

"Yeah, and I know more than most just how lethal these creatures can be, and that's just from the bones."

Before Jessie could answer, Simon walked up from behind her, cross. "What are you thinking?"

Jessie turned her attention from Rob and towards Simon. "What am I thinking? Isn't this what you asked me along for?"

"Yes, but on the boat where it's safe, not by going out there into a war zone."

Jessie rolled here eyes. "Oh come one. They're animals Simon. The only war going on is the law of the jungle."

"May I remind you that this is the most dangerous place in the world?"

Now Jessie was growing angry, matching Simon's mood. "Yes, and clearly you forgot what I was capable of. I can handle myself Simon."

Simon shook his head. He wanted to continue this, to urge her not to go, but he bit his tongue. He felt anger mounting, and if there was one thing his mentor taught him was not to act on the heat of a moment. 'Just try to defuse it if you can' he can remember John saying, 'then tackle it again later when you are more prepared and less likely to make mistakes'.

So with that, Simon shook his head and said "You know what, fine. If that's what you want, then go on ahead." Then Simon turned and left without another word.

"Simon?" Jessie asked as he left, not taking that for an exit clause. "Simon!" When he didn't even bother to turn, she waved him off then went back to Rob.

"Come on, a beer sounds good about now."

Rob gulped. "Make that two for me."

* * *

Early the next morning, Jessie and Rob were strapped into one of the helicopters along with their gear, and they were flown to the island. Jessie was ecstatic out of her mind, though she tried her best to appear professional. She had looked for Simon that morning, but failed to find him before departure. She wanted to give him one last assurance that she would be fine, but then again maybe it was best to wait till they got back, when that tension was gone.

Rob on the other hand failed miserably to hide is fear. His only quarry being long dead animals and the occasional offshore fishing trip, a safari was far from his mind. He wasn't normally a timid man, but he knew his limits, and this was far beyond what he knew he was capable of. Still, he saw how excited Jessie was, and he was to nice a guy to take someone off their high. That, and deep down, the triceratops was one of his favorite dinosaurs, and he would be a fool to pass up an autopsy. So he sucked it up, to the best of his ability anyway.

It was Jethro who would be leading them, along with six other men, to the kill site. While he oversaw the autopsy, the other two helicopters would take the rest of the team to sweep an area where they expected the last of the hypsilophodons to be. The pilot got the all clear and the blades began to spin. At the last second, Wesley Brawnstone jumped in, sitting to Rob's left.

"So, you're coming with us this time?" he asked. He already knew they were coming, but he wanted to break the ice somehow.

Jessie nodded. "Yep."

"Awesome! Big change from the stiffs I usually end up with." He then extended his hand to Rob. "By the way, I'm Wesley Brawnstone." Rob slowly reached over and briefly shook his hand, then immediately grabbed his strap again. "Ah, afraid of heights?"

"Oh yeah" Rob responded. "And you know, dinosaurs with flesh on them, eating my face off."

"Well there is that. I wouldn't worry about it. I hear it's the legs and arms that they really go after."

That did not help.

"Hey, what's that strapped to your back?" Jessie asked, pointing to the staff-like device attached to Wesley's back.

"Oh this? I'll tell you like I tell everyone: You'll have to wait and see."

Jessie just rolled her eyes. In the short time she knew Wes, she already picked up that he had many peculiarities.

Jethro looked back from the passenger seat next to the pilot. "Well, you all seem to be already acquainted. In that case, I want you Wes to stick to them like glue, got it?"

Wes shot him a salute, and Jethro turned back to the pilot, giving him the go ahead to lift off.

The flight was shorter than expected. Jessie got to see the island outside the monitors, and she was not disappointed. The damage done to the forests was even more severe than the camera's made them out to be. But they weren't here to sightsee. It was all of twenty minutes before they landed at the kill site. The triceratops carcass was covered in compys, gnawing at the skin and surface muscles, but otherwise managed to do little damage to the body. They scattered once the helicopter arrived. Once it landed, Jethro and the other five gunmen jumped out, immediately forming a perimeter around the helicopter. They shot at the last remaining compys, taking out a few before the rest disappeared completely. After making sure the site was clear, Jethro gave to 'OK' for the pilot to power down the helicopter.

"Alright, come on out!" said Jethro, keeping his gun raised.

Wes was the first out, then waited for Jessie and Rob to come out with their bags of equipment. Jessie marched on ahead, looking at the trike with a sense of awe, even if it was dead. The eyes were now sunken in and the compys managed to rips up the skin, exposing some of the ribs. Swarms of flies surrounded the animal, eager to get at the cold flesh. Being a relatively fresh kill, the smell wasn't too bad, but it was still morning, meaning the heat hadn't gotten to it yet. "Wow. Look at it!" Jessie told Rob with immense excitement, one only a scientist can understand.

Rob was slowly but surely inching forward behind her, his senses on high alert. Finally, when he felt reasonably secure, he looked at the dinosaur. "Great, another dead dinosaur for me to look at."

"Hey, at least it has skin on it" she joked, hoping to lift his spirits.

Rob nodded, somewhat at ease. "It's a first."

"We're on a schedule here" reminded Jethro.

"Right" said Rob. "Well, let's get to work."

* * *

After putting on long rubber gloves, they set to work cutting up the dinsoaur. Using everything from saws, bowie knives, and sometimes a prybar, the duo worked tirelessly on gutting the large animal. And yet, after almost two hours of work, they had yet to make any progress at breaking into the main cavity. They were both now covered in blood and the stench of rotting flesh. The flies now couldn't distinguish them from the carcass.

Wes just kept shaking his head. "That's just nasty."

"It's science" said Jessie, standing on top of the animal's ribs. "Want to help?"

"Uh, no thank you. I've gotten into some crazy scenarios before, none of which I came out looking like a serial killer... well there was that one time..."

"Don't want to hear it!" said Rob, who was busy trying to cut through the thick muscle and cartilage between the rib cage.

"It wasn't human blood!" Wes said back. "At least I hope it wasn't. Ah great, now you got me thinking..."

"Are you two almost done?" asked Jethro impatiently.

"We just managed to break into the main cavity" said Rob. "But I can say for certain a shot from the side is worthless. I'm finding all your bullets wedged in-between this cartilage between the rib bones. It's actually some tough stuff. The neck, even the head is lined with this stuff."

"It's almost like its got it own bullet proof armor" said Jessie. "Look, if I just ram a knife into it..." she then began jabbing the cartilage/muscle fiber with the knife for effect. Instead of jabbing through, the fiber remained rigid, not letting the knife even partially in. "Nothing happens. But look what happen when I cut it slowly." Then, more carefully, as if carving a prize winning turkey, the slowly made a cut through the fiber. It was still rough to cut, but it was possible.

"It functions like bullet proof vest. Touch it slowly and it feels like any other fabric, but anything with a high velocity and it stiffens up."

Jethro whistled. "And raptors just eat right through that" He then looked to his own vest. "So if a predator can get through that, I guess these things aren't going to be of much use then, huh?"

Wes sighed. Then he promptly took of his vest and through it on the ground with unrealistic rage. "Worthless!"

Rob stepped back as he let a large section of flesh fall free to the ground from where he cut it. He was now looking at a muscular section just under the triceratops's shoulder blade. Then, he noticed something. "Hey Jess, come here! I think I found something."

Jessie stepped off of the animal and walked over to Rob, who had begun actively cutting away at some loose fibers near the arm. "Whatcha got?"

"Look at this" he said, pointing up at the body. "Look. Just under the shoulder blade here. The cartilage stops. Nothing but muscle."

Jessie then stuck her finger directly into the flesh to test its toughness. "This looks good. Does the whole frontal cavity lack the cartilage?"

Rob shrugged. "Only one way to find out."

So for the next ten minutes, the pair worked on tirelessly as they cut through the front of the animal. After cutting away the muscles guarding the chest of the animal, Rob finally stuck his knife through, where it gave way and half his arm sunk into the animal.

"I got it!" he said with excitement. "We're in!"

At that, they both began actively cutting at the hole, slowly expanding the size of the rupture they made. As the hole became bigger though, the stench grew more intense as the more soft tissue of the organs made contact with the air. Inside the animal, under the sun, the cavity acted like an oven, containing the heat, speeding up the fermentation of the organs inside, resulting in a strong, pungent odor that quickly filled the whole area.

"Ah shit!" exclaimed Wes once he got a whiff of that smell. He immediately turned, taking a few quick steps away. He wasn't alone as the other gunmen began coughing at the smell. It was so bad that one began gagging. Only Jethro remained rock solid.

"Found a weakness I see?" he asked.

"Well, right here, directly in front of the animal appear to be a good spot" said Jessie as Rob yanked away at another section of flesh, revealing some of the organs inside. "That's assuming the head doesn't get in the way and the animal just happens to not see you right in front of its face."

"Hey, all we need is a high caliber shot from a sniper and this thing's got a fatal shot in it. Just figure out where the heart and lungs are exactly and we can save ourselves a ton of bullets."

"Well the lungs are too high up actually for this kind of a shot" said Rob.

Then, as Jessie pushed aside some flesh, she gazed her eyes on a enormous, muscular hunk of meat. "We got a heart shot though!"

They both began cutting and tearing out tendons and muscle, showing Jethro the bright red organ. "That looks like a kill shot if I ever saw one. Hear that guys?" he said into the microphone on the wire to his earpiece.

"Loud and clear!" said Vic. "It's about time I hear some good news!"

"Fantastic" Jessie could hear Simon say over the radio. "So that means we can bring them back now, right?"

Jessies sighed. "Sure mom." She then walked back to her bag while taking off her gloves. She threw them into a plastic biohazard bag, then went to her duffle bag and took out a camera. "Just let me get some shots of the carcass and we'll be on our way."

As Jessie went about taking pictures, Rob took a step back, looking at the dinosaur in full. Finally comfortable with the scenario, he let out a sigh of both relief and satisfaction. "Well, you were right" he told Jessie. "This was worth it."

"See, told you" she said while taking shots.

"I mean, sure I would like to see one of these things alive, but from digging up fossils to actually working with a day old carcass... I just wouldn't believe it to be possible. I'm glad I did this!"

"Aha! Pretty neat right, getting off that boat?" Jessie said with gleeful confidence. "Worth the risk?"

Rob nodded. For the first time this day he had a smile on his face. He looked around again, making sure to get the full environment in before having to head back to the chopper.

"We need to go" Jethro suddenly said in a very calm yet unnerving manner.

Rob sighed. "Alright" he said, disappointed that it was time to leave. "Let me finish packing..."

"Forget the stuff, we need to get out of here now!" he said in a harsh whisper. He grabbed Rob by the arm and pushed him towards the helicopter. "Dr. Marshall, we need to leave now!" he said to Jessie.

"Huh?" she asked, not taking her eye out of the viewfinder of her camera.

Jethro then pulled the microphone on his earpiece to his ear. "Code 9, I repeat, code 9!"

At that, all the men went on high alert, pointing there guns at the tree line. They looked around, but saw nothing. "I don't see it!" said one of the men.

"In the trees!" said Jethro. Now Jessie too looked around, but likewise saw nothing.

"I don't see anything" said another soldier.

"Higher!" said Jethro. "It's head is near the top of the trees!"

Once again the soldiers, now backing away closer to the chopper, but keeping their formation, looked at the trees. Then, one by one, they found the target, about 150 yards away hidden in the tree line. They were looking too low before, way too low. High up in the trees the massive reptilian head poked out, remaining still as it stared at them, its mouth full of large, pointed teeth.

Code 9 meant large theropod, in this case the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex.

Once by one, all the men (and Jessie) were able to pick it out from the canopy. The rest of its body was still hidden, all except its leathery, tan head along with teeth filled jaws. It didn't move for the longest time, as if observing the many smaller creatures scurrying about. The closest thing it reminded them of was that of an alligator, but much more tall, and its eyes were more alert. Along the front of its left face were long scars, no doubt from some fight with another predator.

Wes let out a quiet whistle. "That's uh... that's a big dino." Quickly, Wes trotted up, grabbed Jessie by the arm, and began leading her back to the safety of the helicopter.

"Jethro, give me updates!" said Vic anxiously over the radio.

"Guests are headed back to the chopper now" said Jethro. "Alright boys, listen to me!" he said trying to keep his voice low but commanding. "It's vision is based on movement." This he recalled from his experience on Sorna. Ian Malcolm tried to warn them to remain still when the parent Tyrannosauruses ransacked the camp, but his pleas fell on deaf, stubborn ears. "Run, and you're dead! Slowly move back to the chopper, but keep formation. Do not turn your back on this thing!" As he lead Rob slowly back to the helicopter, he gave a hand signal to one of the men still inside.

Nodding, the man, Terry, ran back to the back of the helicopter. In the back, kept in a specialized storage container, Terry brought out a bazooka, one of the few the Costa Ricans allowed them to bring. After loading it with a rocket, he rushed back out and stood right at the door. He mounted it one his shoulder and took aim, ready for if things took a turn for the worst.

All around the men grew more and more anxious. Some looked back and forth to the chopper quickly, constantly keeping tabs on how close they were to it.

"Max, get he chopper ready to go, but don't fire up the engines till I give the OK, got it?" said Jethro.

"Yes sir" said Max.

He finally got Rob to the helicopter and pushed him inside. There he turned and waited for the others. Silently, he watched as Wesley led Jessie back to the helicopter. They moved slowly, as they should be. They were a good 30 yards or so from the vehicle, while the men on the perimeter slowly inched back, their circle getting tighter and smaller. All the while, the Rex remained motionless. They were downwind of it, and they soon smelled a horrid odor; the smell of rotting flesh.

"Why is it not doing anything?" one of the soldiers asked the other.

"Probably looking for the weakest one."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I saw it on a documentary once."

"So then, It'll go after Carl and we'll be fine, right?"

"OK first of all, we're all on the same frequency!" said Wes over his earpiece. "And that's just rude. Second, Carl is with Kayne today... so that means its you Clyde."

"Damn it!" said the first soldier.

"Just get back here!" barked Jethro.

They were still a good 20 yards from the chopper and closing. Though the Tyrannosaurus made no move, it was beginning to instill a sense of terror in some of the men. The more they stared at it the more they realized just how big it was, just how big those teeth were, the size of its muscles, the way it snuck up on them without a noise, despite its size. It was nothing like the herbivores they found so far. It was far removed from anything they were remotely trained for.

It was the one named Clyde that took this in the most. He was in the military, with plenty of harrowing experiences to toughen his senses. Still, this thing, which was alien to him, was slowly seeping into his subconscious, trigging his most primal fears. He was in a cold sweat now, and his arms were trembling.

"Why isn't this damn thing moving?" he said, almost with anger.

"Hold it together man" said his friend next to him, who had noticed that his gun was giggling in his shaky hands. "We're almost there."

But the words went over his head. He just kept staring at the Rex. Unable to take any more, he shook his head, then turn and bolted back to the safety of the helicopter.

"No don't run!" screamed Jessie. In all her experiences with predators, the one thing she learned you must never, _ever_ do, is run.

It was too late. As soon as Clyde took his first step, his body language told the instinct hardened predator that he was fleeing him, a sign of fear. A sign of prey. Reacting instantly, the T-rex bolted out of the vegetation, ripping limb from tree and shattering saplings under its feet. It scattered birds from there perches and compys from there hiding places along the thicket. After breaking free of the vines and branches, the T-rex bolted at them at full speed, letting out a loud, ear shattering roar.

"Damn it!" cursed Jethro. "Fire it up Max! Now now now!"

Having everything ready to go before hand, all Max had to do was turn the key and the engines roared to life. Not waiting for an order, the men acted on their own and sprinted the last ten yards back the to chopper.

"Get back here now! Open fire!"

As soon as they were on or just outside the helicopter, some of the men turned back and opened fire at the Rex. It was already less then 100 yards when the helicopter blades finally began to turn, and it was closing fast. It didn't even budge at the hail of bullets, most of which not even hitting there target. Wes just managed to get Jessie back in the chopper. Before climbing on himself, he turned and stared at the charging dinosaur, his eyes nearly bulging out of his sockets at the sight of it. "Shit!" he shouted before pulling himself in. The blades began spinning faster and faster. It would only take a few more seconds for them to get enough speed for lift, but for the passengers it seemed like forever as the T-rex got larger and larger as it closed the distance, the ground beneath their feet vibrating with more intensity with each step.

Jethro turned to Terry. "Fire when ready!"

Terry nodded and took aim. He was highly trained with this sort of weapon, and with the size of his target, missing shouldn't had been an issue. Once he felt the target was close enough for a clean shot, he pulled the trigger.

But then, with less then 30 yards between them and the dinosaur, the copter finally began to lift. The sudden movement threw Terry of balance, and just before the rocket ignited, Terry lost his footing and stumbled backwards, pointing the bazooka up into the air just before firing. The rocket fired, shooting up into the sky, missing the T-rex entirely.

The Tyrannosaurus, ignoring the noisy, fiery thing racing up into the air, closed the distance in am matter of seconds. reached out and first bit the tail of the helicopter, tearing through the military grade metal as if it were nothing. The impact shook the chopper with such a force that it knocked a few of the men onto the floor. Once it had a good grip, the T-rex held its ground then spun around, swinging the still hovering copter around through the air. Jethro, Clyde, Wes and Rob were thrown from the airborne vehicle, leaving Jessie and a few others back inside as it swung through the air.

Then the T-rex let go, letting the damaged helicopter spin through the air, out of control. After taking a step back, the animal roared out again at the thing. The helicopter spun on just above the ground for a good 30 yards before hitting the ground. It flipped onto its side, causing the spinning blades to collide with the ground. One by one, they snapped like twigs, leaving only the stubs on the rotor. The force of the impact caused the copter to roll over twice more before finally coming to a stop.

Jethro was to first to get up. He looked out before him, seeing the T-rex standing just ten yards from him, though it was still focused on the helicopter on the floor. He was dizzy from spinning through the air then rolling around in the dirt. He had a few scrapes and bruises, but was otherwise OK, minus the blurred vision and spinning images which he hoped was only temporary.

"...Jethro!" said a voice into his earpiece. He couldn't quite make out the voice over the static. "...Banks!... going on... where... you!" He was still too dazed to make out what was being said or why he was only getting every other word.

Clarity of vision was the first to return. He looked around and found Wes, Rob and Clyde coming to. By the time Wes got his surroundings in check, he looked up and saw the T-rex just before them. His first instinct, which acted to his advantage, was to remain motionless, mostly out of paralyzing fear. Rob was on all fours, looking for his lost pair of glasses. Clyde on the other hand looked dazed and confused. He had a string of blood coming from his equally bloody scalp. He got up, almost tripping over his own two legs several times before finding his balance. He looked up, seeing the Tyrannosaurus standing right over him. It's focus was on the helicopter. The large animal then took a step forward towards it.

Clyde didn't even have time to react as the massive three toed foot came crushing down on him. All he could process was an excruciating crushing sensation all through his bones before everything went black

Jethro winced upon hearing the crushing of bone and flesh, then silence. At least it was quick he thought.

"What was that?" asked the virtually blind Rob.

The shock of seeing that was what made him shake his head, forcing himself to focus past the ringing in his head. The T-rex was now walking away from them, moving towards the downed copter. At least they were safe for now.

"Wes!" he said aloud. "Robert, get up!" He eventually got to his feet. With the T-rex having moved away, Wes was able to regain control over his limbs. His first instinct was to reach over his shoulder, feeling his staff strapped over his back to make sure it was there. "Wes, go help Rob out" continued Jethro.

His weapon secured, Wes ran over to Rob. His eyes much clearer than the nearsighted Rob, he picked out the glasses instantly and grabbed them. Upon a quick inspection, he found them cracked in both lenses.

As Wes handed Rob his cracked glasses, Jethro tried to speak into his microphone. "Hello? Hello?!" he said. He was still getting mostly static, aside from a few isolated voices. He looked down to his radio and adjusted one of the knobs. It didn't help as he was still getting silence. It was then that he remembered that what he had was short range; the long range radio it was synced to was on the helicopter, no doubt damaged. He jerked his head to the copter. The T-rex was just a few yards from it now.

"Shit, it's going for the others!" he realized.

* * *

 **Hello there! Sorry for the delay. Life is life.**

 **Well, we are now into the part we all love about Jurassic Park: People getting eaten by dinosaurs! I am happy to say we are now entering the first phase of human vs dino carnage, so get ready for lots of action!**

 **If you are met with another lengthy delay like before, please don't worry. Unless I say so, I will be finishing this series... at least before I die, which will be of old age... just hang in there!**

 **-Batman**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

First Conflict

* * *

"What is going on out there!?"

Back on the S.S. Hammond, the video feed had cut to static. Jut before that, Simon had a blurring picture of what was happening, as none of the camera feeds were facing anywhere near the action. Then, there was paniced screaming, the images on the camera began spinning, then everything went dark, audio and all.

"Banks! Jessica! Anyone pick up!" Simon yelled in the observation room. All he got for an answer was nothing. He slammed his palms against the table in front of him. "Damn!" he shouted. Even in anger, Simon could usually emanate a bright and carasmatic demeanor. All that was gone now, replaced with fear and rage.

"Do you see anything?" asked Vic. Both he and Jim still had their teams out elsewhere on this island, continuing there sweep of the island whil Jethro took the team to dissect the triceratops corpse.

"Nothing. The cameras are dead" said an increasingly anxious Simon. "Vic, Jim, how far out are you?"

"About an hour by land, ten minutes by air."

"GET OVER THERE NOW!" Simon shouted with ever ounce air in his lungs.

* * *

Jethro and the others had it lucky. Inside the tumbling heap of what was once the helicopter, Jessie and the remaining men were thrown around like pennies in a jar, tumbling against any and every part of the solid, metallic cabin. She was pinned by someone who's face she couldn't see, lying down perpendicular to herself. She hit her head at least five times, the last time against the floor being the worst of them. The soldiers had their combat helmets on, and fared better. She cursed herself for not putting one on. By some miracle she was still conscious, though barely. Her eyes squinted open, though they wanted to remain shut. Her body was in agony. She was sore in so many places that it was hard to determine where most of the pain was coming from. Her short term memory was all a blur, and she couldn't really tell where she was or how she got there.

Then the heavy growl of the T-rex reminded her of her situation.

Trying to get her flight-or-fight instincts to kick into gear, Jessie forced her head up. A sudden, overwhelming feeling of nausea overwhelmed her, and she had to lie down briefly before she could open her eyes again. She didn't have to be a doctor to know that she had a concussion, and a bad one at that. The injuries she sustained to her brain kept pulling her out of reality into a dream-like state. It was the fear of what was coming that kept bringing her back to reality. Finally, fighting the urge to sleep, she forced herself up amid the sick, gut wrenching feeling filling her body. The severity of her injuries came to light when she opened her eyes and saw a world spinning on itself. Immediately she vomited water, having missed breakfast that morning.

It made her feel slightly better. The first thing she did was push at the unconscious man off her lap.

"Sir? Sir?" she asked. She had to feel for him to push him, her vision still not entirely trustworthy. She pushed him off her entirely, where he turned his head, grunting. He was alive at least.

"Come on" she told him, herself barley able to see him clearly. She pulled herself to her feet. A throbbing pain wrecked havoc in her head. She couldn't even feel the bruises and open wounds she sustained.

The earth tremors reminded her of the urgency to get out of there. She had no idea how many men were left, if they were even alive, but she began to call out all the same. "Guys, we... we need to get out of here... now!" She didn't have much authority in her voice, given her sorry state, and she paused and stuttered in her speech. She heard at least one more person grunting beside her, but nothing more. Then the tremors grew worse. Feeling a solid bar on her left, she puled herself up, slowly but surely as the earth shook louder and louder. She nearly collapsed when she felt a firm hand grab her arm, keeping her from falling.

"Are you alright miss?" asked a man. He must have faired better than her, because before she knew it she was pulled up to her feet. The movement hurt her knee, which now she knew was bruised, possibly worse.

"My... knee" she said in a daze.

She felt a hand gently feel her right jean legging. Every movement it seemed to cause her agony. "You've got some swelling" he said. "But, we can't worry about that now. It's coming back."

Outside in the near distance, Jethro began running towards the helicopter. "Hey you!" he screamed at the Rex. He didn't have much of a prayer in outrunning it, but hell if he was going to let his men die like fish in a barrel. But his screams went unnoticed as the Tyrannosaurs walked over to the copter. It's massive form leaned over the wrecked vehicle now, .The large, powerful creature growled, then leaned down and bit hard into the tale of the vehicle.

"Shit!" cried one of the trapped men as the dinosaur began shaking the helicopter once again. Just when they got up, Jessie and the others found themselves back down on their backs again. The dinosaur let go, then raised its foot and brought it down on the lower portion of the helicopter. It threw its weight on it, crunching metal under its feet.

The force cracked the bottom of the copter. One half of sheet metal bent down out of place, threatening to crush two men trapped underneath. Seeing this, the man who helped Jessie earlier, his name being Neil, drew his side arm and shot at the toes of the animal. Then despite the seemingly supernatural fear this thing instilled, the animal lifted its foot at once, letting out a short roar in pain. It did nothing to hinder the animal's attack, but it was enough for it to remove its foot.

"Come on, we need to get everyone out of here!" said Neil. No sooner did he say this did the Tyrannosaurus return, peering at them as her giant head blocked the door above them. Neil raised his gun again, but the Rex had already turned it head and bit into the corner of the roof of the copter. It pulled hard, throwing Neil to his back. It dragged the copter through the grass, eventually flipping it back right side up again. The one door still jammed, the survivors now had a way to get out, only there was a huge man eating dinosaur outside.

"Hold your ground!" said Neil. "We're better off in here!"

"We're better off nowhere!" said one of the other men. "We're sitting ducks regardless!"

Just as he said this, the tyrannosaur showed its head once again through the door, peering at them with a threatening glare. The crew prepared for another round of the washing machine from hell.

Then, there was gunfire.

"Hey!" yelled Jethro Banks, waving his gun in the air. He had finally came within earshot, just as the rex flipped the chopper over. Wasting no time, he picked up one of the guns lying down from where it fell out of the chopper. He passed a man lying down, just getting up from where he was thrown. Jethro pulled him up then ordered him to run to where Wes waited with Rob. Once he was clear Jethro fired it at the dinosaur, drawing its attention from the chopper. "Hey over here you son of a bitch!" He fired once more, the bullets hardly making a difference against the thick skin.

The T-rex, more annoyed than injured, swung its head over to him. It took a step forward, then bellowed out an ear shattering roar. Jethro shot two more rounds until he ran out of bullets. His magazine empty, he pulled out the empty mag and reloaded with a new on he had in his vest. "You're not killing any more of my boys" he said. "Not today!" Reloaded, he fired again.

The T-rex shook its head, then let out a half roar before charging.

Getting it's full attention, Jethro turned and bolted, running for the only cover he could possibly get to: The triceratops carcass. The Tyrannosaur didn't go at him with full speed, still undecided as to whether the helicopter was the bigger threat or this odd creature. Still, it followed him, if out of spite only. Jethro ran with all his might the animal behind him drawing nearer. He saw that the hole through the cavity, dug out by Jessie and Rob earlier, was just large enough for a man to fit through. Braving the stench, he dove in, just as the dinosaur chopped her jaws only a few feet from himself.

"That's our chance!" said Neil from inside the chopper. "Come on, everyone out! Make for the treeline!" Not wasting a second, he grabbed the first man and helped him to his feet. One by one, the others followed.

Jessie tried to get up, but her head trauma hindered her, in combination with her knee injury. She limped her way to the doorway, working slow to avoid the maze of fallen gear and shredded metal. She made to the door when, hitting her like a wave, felt a nauseating feeling in her head. Her sense of balance failed her and she fell down, rolling outside onto the grass.

After helping out two of his friends, Neil noticed her stumbling out of the chopper. He rushed to help her out. "Are you alright ma'am? Can you walk?"

Jessie shook her head, then heaved, though there was nothing left in her stomach. Neil sighed. "You might have a concussion. But we need to move now, got it?"

Jessie nodded almost immediately. She knew what she had to do, but her body was anything but cooperative. "Let's move" she said.

Neil grabbed her by the arm, helping her to balance out. Making sure no one was left inside, he followed the men already on the move. "Alright, stay together! No matter what we get to those trees!" Keeping their distance from the occupied rex, they moved at a reasonable speed, keeping pace with the wounded. Thankfully, none were completely unconscious. A sprained arm and cracked ribs yes, but they were at least mobile.

Inside the trike, Jethro was thrown about as the Rex thrashed the carcass. It shook the dead body with its hind legs, knocking it with its skull, anything to get the little human out. The internal body fluids and the massive organs all but engulfed him, getting into his eyes and mouth. If he vomited, and he was sure he did, he couldn't tell it apart from cesspool he was in. Even if he wanted to get out, he could not.

Jessie and the others were nearing Wes and Rob, who were anxiously calling them over, moving on into the Jungle with them. "That's it" said Neal. "We're almost..."

Then there was a loud, high pitched bark from the woods.

The group stopped. They had all been briefed on all the animals, their shapes, their tracks, habits, and vocalizations. The ones they were stressed to remember was that of the velociraptor. That bark was just one of them, and others followed.

"OK, let's _not_ go into the woods" said Wes.

Then there was a loud hiss. Then a snarl followed by a high pitched roar. Soon, the whole of the woods was filled with these sounds, coming from all directions.

"Raptors!" said Neal.

"Get, together!" said Jess weakly. Despite the peril they were in, she made little progress in keeping her head from spinning. A pulsing blur kept clouding her vision, impairing her thoughts. Between pulses, she began to realize that her condition was bordering severe. But passing out and getting help were not options right now. It took every once of will power to stay focused on the situation, and to try and recall all she knew about predator behavior. Problem was, these were no normal predators.

The men followed her orders and huddled up close. They grabbed whatever weapons they were able to salvage and passed them to the guys on the perimeter, keeping the more wounded persons in the center, including Jessie. Rob was handed a weapon, even though he have never handled an assault weapon before. His own vision was blurred as well, his right lens being cracked and the other missing entirely.

But the raptors' calls caught something else's attention. The Tyrannosaurus ceased its pursuit of Jethro inside the triceratops carcass and jerked her head towards the forest. Hearing a few more vocalizations from the raptors, the T-rex positioned herself perpendicular to the tree-line, then let out a loud roar.

The small group looked back, but noticed that her attention was no longer on them. But they had no time to ponder this, for just after the roar, the woods broke open as dozens of velociraptors ran out onto the plain, snarling and hissing all the while. Most went for the T-rex. To their surprise, the raptors split up and spread out, nearly avoiding the small band of humans altogether. Instead, they darted out towards the T-rex, circling it in all directions. The T-rex hissed and snapped at the animals as if they were flies. But still it kept her wits about her, and she turned rapidly, keeping her eye on every animal. The scars on her face were reminders that these animals were not afraid to attack her, and could deal out damage in numbers.

Seeing this change in fortune, Rob realized it. "They're not after us" he said. "They want the carcass!"

"Hold your fire!" shouted Neil. "Hold your fire, don't draw attention to ourselves!" The men, though hesitant, obeyed. But no sooner did he say this did some of the raptors, the more rebellious, wild card individuals, veer from their agenda, noticing the humans standing there. Less then half the pack followed the actions of the few and began circling the group, curious of these new prey items. For some, it has been a long time since they have seen people. The pack, number around fifty, was split between the Tyrannosaurus and the humans.

"What do we do boss?!" asked Wes, his trigger finger itching.

"Don't open fire yet" said Neil. "Keep formation!"

Now some of these raptors, the older ones, remember a time when there were humans on the island, having survived the bombings. They knew them to be week, and their meat tender. They squealed and snarled to one another in their primitive language, wondering the best method to take these upright, pale creatures.

"Hold your ground!" ordered Neil. He talked into his earpiece. "Hello, hello? Can anyone hear me?! We need air support now! Hello!" Nothing. The radio was still down. "Damn it. We're on our own for now boys. Remember your training. Remember these are raptors. Damn smart!"

The raptors now had them surrounded in a near perfect circle. The air had become tense, the sounds of the other raptors harassing the Rex dimming into nothing but background noises.

"OK" said Neil. "OK here is what we're going to do. On the count of three, open fire. Sweep from left to right, make sure you hit every last one of them!" At once, the men raised their guns, ready to fire. "On my mark, 1...2..."

But just before Neil said 'three', a raptor leapt high into the air, clearing the aim of their barrels. He landed right in the middle of the group, pinning one of the men to the ground, just missing Rob and Jessica. All at once, chaos ensued. Men turned to fire, but couldn't kill the reptile without hitting their own. In that one second, one being all they needed, the other raptors charged them. A few men turned in time to shoot down a few, some falling as they were shot. But the rest carried on, diving into the group, picking their targets and slicing them where they stood. Soon any form of order was lost, both amongst the men and the beasts. It was everyone for themselves, each picking their own fights. A few of the raptors fell, but more men were falling, as the raptors proved resilient to even gunfire. It was far beyond any of their training, and instinct took over. They fired randomly, and some of their own were hit by stray bullets, either missing entirely or as they passed through the enemy.

Somehow, Wes happened passed his charge, and they all fell to the ground.

"We're going to die!" Rob cried, dropping his gun (which he could not figure out how to reload anyway) and cowering in fetal form. He had no experience with violence, and this was an altogether alien form of terror, and he succumbed. Beside him Jessica lied. All the noises blurred into one, and it ringed in her ears, rattling her already rattled head. She could not tell what was going on, and soon fell into a state similar to Rob's

Wes was close to falling into that state, every sense of logic failing him as he descended into cowardice. His line of criminal work rarely involved confrontation. He could enter and leave even the most secured places with something of value, all without anyone's knowledge. He found pride in that. But this was different. He thought this was a chance for cheep thrills, but now saw that this was not the case. It was at this point he wished he listened to Vic, wishing even to be back in that prison cell where Vic found him.

But something deep inside Wes stirred, pulling him from the pits of despair. Though he was a thief, and rarely worked with others, he found, by some strange happenings, tranquility in the chaos. It was as if some new instinct took over, one long buried back in time, in another life maybe, a life where fights were second nature. Slowly, he began to think clearly, panic failing into action. He looked up, and all time seemed to slow down. It was a warzone; man vs beast, prey vs predator, roles flicking back and forth in the blink of an eye. His companions seemed to be faring well, but the raptors proved hard to fall, and would soon overwhelm them unless a miracle occurred. But he saw a chance, for him and his two friends at least, who were defenseless in a hand to hand fight. Going against his nature, he became, temporarily, a leader.

"We're getting out of here!" Wes said. Seeing a break in the fight just above them, he grabbed Rob, then Jessie by the back of their shirts, and pulled them up. "Keep low and run! To the trees, hurry!" Rob stirred, but as Wes pulled at him and shouted orders into his ears, he steered away from his fear, and followed blindly. Jessica proved harder. Despite their peril, she was reluctant to run. "Come on girl! We're worry about your noggin later! Just run damn it!" But Jessica's problem was more physical than mental, and she was powerless to overcome them. Seeing that she was getting nowhere, Wes scooped her up in his arms and ran ahead full speed. In a few seconds, he and Rob clear the group. Rob saw by his feet a gun from a fallen man and picked it up. He wasn't sure how to use it, but he knew where the trigger was at least.

Somehow, by the grace of God, they ran without attracting the attention of the other raptors, immediately anyway, as they were too much occupied by their armed prey. Rob and Wes ran silently, not daring even to speak as they ran off into the nearby woods. Behind them their armed escort continued to fight off the raptors. Soon they gained the upper hand, and some of the raptors began to back off. As some of the younger ones chickened out, and turned aside. Three of these less experienced individuals spotted the fleeing humans. Thinking them to be easier prey, they darted off after them, just as they broke through the tree-line.

Once safely (matter of speaking) behind foliage, Wes immediately said to Rob "Hey, you know how to use that thing?"

Rob shook his head.

"Alright. Trade?"

Rob agreed without hesitation. He laid the gun down and took Jessica as Wes handed her to him. Quickly Wes took up the gun and they ran on ahead.

"No, stop!" Jess said in protest in a slurred voice. "We can't leave them!"

"We can't help them" said Rob.

"He's right" said Wes. "We're nothing but a burden to them. They've been in plenty of fights, they'll be fine." Then he heard a loud hiss coming from behind, sounding closer than the rest of the commotion. Wes turned briefly, keeping his gun raised. "And if we don't move we'll be someone's dinner! Run!"

They ran further and further into the jungle, the distance between them and their pursuers rapidly declining.

* * *

"This looks like the last stand boys!" said Neil. He had just shot a round into a raptor's head after it took a bite out of his left arm, severely handicapping him. A little less then a dozen men remained now, with the velociraptors losing less then half their numbers, blinded by adrenaline to care about their losses, this being their first hunt in weeks. Already they began tearing into the bodies of the dead. Their ammunition too low now to waste, they could not defend the bodies of their fallen. Blood and death surrounded them, and they had become weary from this primeval battle.

"When is help coming?!" cried one of the men desperately. "Where is Vic?"

"They're miles away. We got to hold out for at least a few more minutes..." he paused, having a chance to look around. They were a few he could not account for. "Where are the civilians? Rob and Jessica?"

"I don't know sir!" said one of the men. "I haven't seen them. They're not dead, I know that."

Neil cursed. "Where the hell did they go?"

Now they were surrounded, firing only when an animal charged. They were now on their last rounds, and it took more than a few bullets to even cripple one of these creatures. It was almost supernatural how they kept on going even after a few hits to the chest. At this point the other raptors abandoned their attack on the T-rex, leaving her alone to her meal, following their brethren to hunt the humans. The thirty or so remaining raptors circled their prey, waiting for the next opening. The fighting came to a stand still.

"Get ready" Neil said as they anxiously waited for the next attack. They had lost the upper hand a long time ago. "How many rounds do you have?" he asked them all. Most answered in the single digits. If nothing happened soon, it was only a matter of time before the raptors made their last charge, and their ammunition would not help them much.

Soon, however, something happened.

The sounds of helicopter blades piercing the air hit their ears. They saw Vic's chopper coming from the distance, approaching fast.

"Don't move!" Vic shouted over a loud speaker. "We'll finish them off. Keep together!"

The T-rex saw the helicopter and grunted angrily. She got in a few large mouthfuls of flesh, but it was little to satisfy her ravenous hunger. Still, she was weary from the earlier fight, and could not muster the strength to fight another mechanical monster. She was reluctant to leave, but planned to return for her meal. She left abruptly, deciding to wait in the near distance out of sight until they all decided to leave. The raptors on the other hand startled at the sight, but were too stubborn to leave just yet. Their choice was made for them, however, as the heavy machine gun on the chopper fired away, ripping through the animals, as if it were the meteors that wiped them out in the first place. With one pass, more than half of the raptors fell, squirming and twitching in their throes of death. This was enough, and after issuing loud roars in protest and defeat, the raptors finally fled, darting back into the jungles from whence they came.

When the threat had passed, the chopper landed. In the distance, Jim Kayne's helicopter came, though it was too late to aid in any fighting. It was now late evening, and the helicopter cast a long shadow on the battlefield. Vic was the first one out of the vehicle, running with a small team behind him for support, should the predators return. Neil, cradling his arm that has been sliced, knelt down while one of his comrades looked at him. "I'm fine!" he said. "Go help the others." Indeed there were others far worse off than he was, crying out in agony. With some difficulty he got up, disappointed with the outcome.

"Neil!" said Vic. "Are you alright? What the hell happened?"

Neil grunted, his arm bothering him. "The big one came first, flung the chopper like a rag doll. Then the others came out of nowhere. I don't know, the whole thing was a blur."

"Where is Jethro?"

Neil pointed with his good arm behind Vic. There stood Jethro, who had finally managed to find his way out of the triceratops carcass. His ordeal utterly dreadful, he soon realized his experience was dwarfed by what happened to his boys.

Upon seeing (and smelling) him, Vic waved the air away from his nose. "Aw! What the crap!?"

Jethro just shook his head, ignoring Vic. "How many?" he asked, referring to the men.

Neil shook his head. "Twelve, by my count."

Jethro shook his head with a heavy sigh. "The researchers? Robert and Jessica?"

Neil shook his head. "I don't know."

* * *

 **Hello there.**

 **Sorry again for the wait. Kind of his a dry spell of creativity. Finally managed to get this chapter out. This will mark a new and familiar side of the story, of people running from dinosaurs. The three lost ones will soon make a few discoveries, and those still on the ship will search far and wide for them. Tempers will rise and agendas will shift.**

 **One thing I kind of slid in there was the raptors resilience to bullets. In the book, Muldoon described that all dinosaurs had more nerve density than most animals. There unique nervous system led them to continue functioning fairly well after even mortal injuries. Just thought I throw that in there for the raptors at least.**

 **See you all soon!**

 **-Batman**


End file.
